Two Ligue 1 sides currently enduring difficult runs of form will lock horns at the Stade Jean-Bouin on Sunday as Angers host Lorient.
The visitors have failed to win any of their last six league games, while Angers are hoping to avoid a fifth successive top-flight match without a victory.
Match preview
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After winning three of their opening four Ligue 1 matches, Angers have since won only one of their last nine games, which has seen them slip down to ninth in the table, five points behind the top four.
Gerald Baticle's men can be pleased with their 1-1 draw away against champions Lille last time out, however, solitary points need to be turned into three if they are to stay in contention for a European qualification place.
The Black and Whites are one of six Ligue 1 teams to have drawn six matches so far this season, the joint-most in the division. Only one of which, however, has been at home – a goalless draw with Marseille in September.
None of Angers's last three encounters against Lorient have ended as a draw, including last season's meeting at the Stade Jean-Bouin, where they won 2-0 in December 2020.
Victory for Baticle's side on Sunday could see them climb into sixth place, three points behind Marseille in fourth.
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Lorient's five-game winless run in October was followed by a 2-1 defeat in the Breton derby at home against Brest in their most recent game before the international break.
Despite taking the lead through Adrian Grbic in the fifth minute, Jerome Hergault's 28th-minute dismissal for a high challenge turned the game in Brest's favour, as the visitors went on to score twice in the second half, condemning the hosts to their fourth defeat of the campaign.
Lorient have now dropped the most points after scoring the opening goal in Ligue 1 this season (13) and have also lost the most matches after opening the scoring (3).
Christophe Pelissier's side are now winless in six league games, the longest run of any side in the division, and they remain in 13th place, three points above the relegation playoff position.
Lorient travel to the Stade Jean-Bouin having won only one of their last 26 league games away from home, the fewest of any team in Europe's top five leagues who have been involved in the last two seasons.
Pelissier will be aware that their form needs to improve quickly if they are to avoid slipping further down the table, and a victory could see them move level on points with Strasbourg in eighth.
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Team News
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Angers will be without key midfielder Angelo Fulgini, who is suspended following an accumulation of yellow cards.
Defender Abdoulaye Bamba and midfielder Zinedine Ould Khaled are also unavailable for the hosts, as they continue to recover from respective knee and thigh injuries.
Former Southampton winger Sofiane Boufal could move into the number 10 role in Fulgini's absence, while 17-year-old forward Mohamed-Ali Cho is set to be joined in attack by Stephane Bahoken.
As for Lorient, Hergault will serve a one-match suspension following his red card against Brest, while top goalscorer Armand Lauriente, who has netted four times in the league this season, is ruled out due to injury.
Grbic is expected to partner Terem Moffi up front in Lauriente's absence, while centre-back Julien Laporte is back from suspension and will be in contention to start in the back three alongside Houboulang Mendes and Jeremy Morel.
Angers possible starting lineup:
Bernardoni; Manceau, Traore, Thomas; Cabot, Mangini, Mendy, Doumbia; Boufal; Cho, Bahoken
Lorient possible starting lineup:
Nardi; Mendes, Laporte, Morel; Silva, Le Fee, Lemoine, Monconduit, Le Goff; Moffi, Grbic
We say: Angers 1-1 Lorient
All four Ligue 1 victories in this fixture have been won by the home side, so this should provide Angers with some confidence, especially as they won the last meeting at the Stade Jean-Bouin.
However, there is little to separate these two out-of-form teams and so a score draw could be on the cards this weekend.
Oliver Thomas
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Angers win with a probability of 52.66%. A draw had a probability of 25.4% and a win for Lorient had a probability of 21.98%.
The most likely scoreline for an Angers win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.07%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.26%) and 2-1 (9.4%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.97%), while for a Lorient win it was 0-1 (7.63%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 13.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Angers in this match.
