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

A resurgent Lorient aim to start 2026 strong as they welcome Metz to Stade du Moustoir on Sunday.

Both teams currently find themselves in the lower echelons of the Ligue 1 table, although the hosts are six points clear of the relegation zone, which includes the visitors at the bottom.

Match preview

Back in the French top flight after romping to Ligue 2 glory during the 2024-25 campaign, Lorient endured a rough start, picking up just nine points from the first 11 matches.

As a result, Olivier Pantaloni’s men fell into the bottom three, seemingly bound for a swift return to the second tier.

Despite giving up late leads to Toulouse and Nantes in their next two outings, Les Merlus showed life with back-to-back wins over Nice and Lyon to kickstart their campaign.

A goalless draw with Strasbourg in their Last Ligue 1 outing means Lorient are now unbeaten in five, and their nine-point haul ranks seventh in the division over that stretch.

Having gotten themselves back on track, Lorient headed into their Coupe de France assignment against Gosier in high spirits, running out 7-0 winners.

Sunday’s hosts also recorded a third straight clean sheet en route to victory last time out and will be confident of keeping their struggling visitors at bay this weekend to boost their chances of success.

Like Lorient, Metz have just returned to Ligue 1 and also suffered an early wobble, claiming only two points from a possible 27.

Three straight wins by a combined score of 6-1 between October 29 and November 9 seemed to have turned a corner for Stephane Le Mignan’s men, who have, however, since lost their next four league outings.

A cup win over Biesheim in their final outing of 2025 offered brief relief, but Les Grenats must now build on that to climb the Ligue 1 standings.

Metz sit bottom with 11 points, four off safety as the season nears its midway stage. Defensive issues have remained a pressing concern, with a league-high 37 goals conceded.

A whopping 27 of those have come in away matches. This hints that Sunday’s visitors could be in for another daunting assignment on the road. They have already lost 6-1, 4-0, and 5-2 to Lille, Toulouse, and Monaco respectively earlier this term.

Lorient Ligue 1 form:

Lorient form (all competitions):

Metz Ligue 1 form:

Metz form (all competitions):

Team News

Lorient will be without Arthur Avom and Darlin Yongwa, both of whom are with Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Arsene Kouassi (Burkina Faso), Montassar Talbi (Tunisia) and Tosin Aiyegun (Benin) are also on international duty and will not feature this weekend.

On the injury front, the home side are still missing Abdoulaye Faye and Isaak Toure due to foot and knee injuries respectively, while Panos Katseris is yet to recover from a thigh problem.

Given the prominence of African players in Ligue 1, Metz also have a number of absentees due to international commitments.

Habib Diallo (Senegal), Jean-Philippe Gbamin (Ivory Coast) and Cheikh Sabaly (Senegal) are currently in Morocco.

Pape Sy remains out with a concussion and is joined on the visitors’ treatment table by Joseph Mangondo (knee).

Lorient possible starting lineup:

Mvogo; Meite, Adjei, Silva; Mvuka, Abergel, Cadiou, Pagis; Makengo, Le Bris, Soumano

Metz possible starting lineup:

Fischer; Ballo-Toure, Sane, Colin, Kouao; Traore, Deminguet; Tsitaishvili, Hein, Mbaye; Asoro

We say: Lorient 2-0 Metz

Only Marseille (24) and Rennes have scored more goals in home matches than Lorient (17), who will relish their prospects against a Metz outfit leaking goals for fun on the road.

We are backing the home side to come out on top with relative ease when all is said and done.

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