Preview: Angers vs Metz - prediction, team news, lineups

Angers Sporting Club de l’Ouest (Angers SCO) welcome FC Metz to the Stade Raymond-Kopa this Sunday in a Ligue 1 encounter that sees both sides aiming to reset their campaigns after a difficult start to the year, with valuable points on offer as the season begins to take shape.

A victory this weekend could lift the Black and Whites into the top half of the Ligue 1 table, while the visitors arrive knowing that every positive result is becoming increasingly vital as their battle for top-flight survival intensifies heading into the business end of the campaign.

Match preview

Angers head into Sunday’s fixture in 11th place in the Ligue 1 standings with 23 points from 19 matches, a relatively secure mid-table position in what has been a tightly contested 2025–26 season, having recorded six wins, five draws and eight defeats so far.

Alexandre Dujeux’s side have scored 20 league goals this season at an average of just over one per game, while conceding 25 goals highlights a team that can be exposed defensively yet remains competitive in most matches.

Angers’ attacking output has been shared across the squad, although wantaway forward Sidiki Cherif leads the scoring charts with four goals, while Yassin Belkhdim and Carlens Arcus are the club’s joint-leading assist providers with two each, playing key roles in the team’s buildup play.

Recent Ligue 1 form has been mixed for the Black and Whites, with two wins, a draw and three defeats in their last six matches in the league punctuated by a goalless draw against Paris FC last time out, a result that brought an end to a three-match losing run across all competitions.

Historically, Angers have faced Metz on 51 occasions, recording 20 wins, 14 draws and 17 defeats, and they have lost just twice in their last 10 meetings with the Maroons, winning six and drawing two since January 2017.

Metz’s return to Ligue 1 has proven difficult, with the visitors entering this fixture under significant pressure as they sit 18th in the table with just 12 points from 19 matches, leaving them firmly in the relegation zone and in urgent need of a turnaround.

The Maroons parted company with head coach Stephane Le Mignan with a sequence of defeats including a heavy 4–0 Coupe de France defeat to Ligue 2 side Montpellier on January 11, appointing Benoit Tavenot as his replacement, after a campaign that began with three straight league defeats and did not yield a first win until matchday 10 against Lens in late October.

Metz’s league record of three wins, three draws and 13 defeats reflects the struggles of their top-flight return, and while they have scored 21 goals, slightly more than Angers, their defensive frailties have been exposed by conceding 45 times, leaving them bottom of the table on goal difference behind Auxerre.

The visitors are currently on a four-match winless run in all competitions, having lost their last three games, and have not recorded a league victory since September 2025, despite briefly stringing together a three-game winning run earlier in the campaign.

The two sides last met in September 2025, when Metz held Angers to a 1–1 draw, a result that underlined their ability to compete against teams around them in the standings despite their broader struggles this season.

This clash therefore represents a crucial opportunity for Metz to remain in touch with their survival objectives, as a positive result away from home would either lift them out of the relegation zone or significantly narrow the gap to their immediate rivals near the foot of the table.

Angers Ligue 1 form:

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Angers form (all competitions):

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Metz Ligue 1 form:

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Metz form (all competitions):

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Team News

Angers could be without top scorer Cherif, who picked up an injury against Paris FC last weekend and remains a doubt amid reports of a potential January move to Turkish giants Fenerbahce.

Head coach Dujeux has also confirmed that Algerian international Himad Abdelli, who has an agreement in place with Marseille ahead of a possible free transfer at the end of the season, is expected to miss the visit of Metz after being omitted against his prospective employers and currently training with the reserve team.

Elsewhere, centre-forward Lanroy Machine remains sidelined with a dead foot, while right-back Arcus is one yellow card away from suspension after collecting four cautions so far this season.

For Metz, defender Pape Sy is again expected to miss out as he continues his recovery from a head injury, while Joseph Mangondo remains unavailable after a knee problem has ruled him out for the entire campaign to date.

Aside from those absences, new head coach Tavenot is expected to have the remainder of his squad available for selection this weekend.

Angers possible starting lineup:

Koffi; Arcus, Camara, Lefort, Ekomie; Belkebla, Van Boomen, Belkhdim, Mouton, Sbai; Peter

Metz possible starting lineup:

Fischer; Colin, Gbamin, Yegbe, Kouao, Toure, Deminguet, Traore, Tsitaishvili, Hein, Diallo

We say: Angers 0-0 Metz

Angers are without a win in their last three matches, and while victory could propel them into the top half of the table if results elsewhere go their way, their recent lack of cutting edge suggests a tight contest.

Metz, meanwhile, can take encouragement from their resilience despite a recent defeat to Lyon, and with a potential new-manager bounce under Tavenot, they may do enough to remain defensively solid and return home with a valuable point.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.