Preview: Monaco vs. Lorient - prediction, team news, lineups

Monaco currently find themselves on the outside of a Champions League place next season as they return to Stade Louis II on Sunday for a date with Lorient.

Les Monegasques remain fourth in the Ligue 1 table after squandering a two-goal lead to draw Nantes last weekend (2-2), while Les Merlus have dropped down to 10th in the standings, drawing 0-0 at home to Marseille.

Match preview

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It was another missed opportunity for Monaco to gain some ground in the race for a Champions League place as they conceded twice in the second half to La Maison Jaune, having now dropped six points from winning positions this year.

Last Sunday was the first time since 2019 that this team failed to win a domestic affair when going up 2-0, and those points dropped could have put them within one victory of Lens in second place.

After winning seven of their first nine games when the league resumed from the World Cup break, Philippe Clement has seen his side regress a little, capturing just two of their previous six matches in this competition.

Finishing off their chances has rarely been an ongoing issue for them, but their defending in the Principality has been well below par, conceding three or more goals in five home games this season, tied with Angers for the most over this campaign.

They come into this match on a four-game winless run versus Lorient in this competition, their second-longest streak against a side currently in the French top flight, behind only Lens (five).

If recent history means anything, this could be the time when Les Monegasques begin to hit their stride, having suffered just one defeat domestically from April until the end of the season in their previous two campaigns combined.

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A spot in Europe is falling further out of reach for Lorient, who have only captured one of their last six matches in this competition.

While they currently sit seven points below Lille for a spot in the Europa Conference League, this has still been a successful campaign for Les Merlus, who have 45 points after 30 league contests, the second-highest total for them at this stage of a top-flight season, with their best being in 2009-10 (46).

Lorient have not won a road match in Ligue 1 since beating Angers on New Year's Day (2-1), scoring just two goals in their previous four away games.

It has not helped that they have failed to score an opening goal in back-to-back encounters, while also squandering five points from winning positions on their current slump.

Two of their remaining three fixtures this month are against teams above them in the table (Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain), and they are winless against sides currently in the top four of Ligue 1 this season.

Since the beginning of 2023, Regis Le Bris has seen his side concede in all but one of their domestic road fixtures, allowing three or more goals on three occasions.

Team News

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Monaco will miss Malang Sarr and Ruben Aguilar this weekend because of groin strains, Breel Embolo has a sprained knee and Gelson Martins is out of the lineup for personal reasons.

Last weekend, Eliot Matazo netted for the first time in league play this season, with Axel Disasi notching goal number three of the domestic campaign, while Caio Henrique picked up a pair of assists in that encounter, with six of his goal involvements this season coming from a set-piece, more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues.

In their previous match versus Lorient, Monaco got goals from Breel Embolo and Wissam Ben Yedder in a 2-2 draw, while Alexander Nubel collected a clean sheet the last time they hosted them at Stade Louis II, a game that wound up 0-0.

Yvon Mvogo is out for Les Merlus because of a tendon injury, Gedeon Kalulu and Theo Le Bris are dealing with groin problems, while Enzo Le Fee remains sidelined due to a thigh issue.

Their captain Laurent Abergel is eligible to return from suspension, having been red-carded in their 3-1 defeat at Lille.

Their back three of Bamo Meite, Montassar Talbi and Vincent Le Goff kept Marseille in check last weekend, holding the visitors to two shots on target and allowing Vito Mannone to pick up his first clean sheet since the middle of March.

Monaco possible starting lineup:

Nubel; Vanderson, Jakobs, Disasi, Henrique; Camara, Matazo; Minamino, Ben Seghir, Golovin; Ben Yedder

Lorient possible starting lineup:

Mannone; Meite, Talbi, Le Goff; Cathline, Ponceau, Innocent, Yongwa; Faivre, Kone; Dieng

We say: Monaco 3-2 Lorient

Les Monegasques know how to turn it on at this time of the season, and although their defence has been leaky at home, their attacking options are far superior to what Lorient currently possess, and we expect them to do enough on Sunday to collect three points.

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