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

Seeking to end a lengthy home winless run in Ligue 1, Nice will welcome Lorient to Allianz Riviera in the south of France on Sunday.

A 2-0 defeat at Lyon last week has Les Aiglons sitting 14th in the table, eight points below Lorient, who moved up to ninth thanks to a 2-0 triumph over Angers.

Match preview

So far this month, we have witnessed a lot of disappointment at Nice, with this team currently on a three-match winless run domestically.

That string of poor results came after a 4-1 triumph at Nantes in late January, giving this team a bit of hope that they had possibly turned the corner.

Under Claude Puel, they have points in three of their previous four league fixtures but have only triumphed once domestically since November of last year.

Entering this matchday, they have failed to find the back of the net in consecutive Ligue 1 affairs, and on Sunday could go three straight top-flight outings without scoring for the first time since November-December 2021 (three).

At Allianz Riviera, this side are winless in five successive domestic matches but have points in those last three games.

Nice are unbeaten in their previous seven Ligue 1 home outings versus the Brittany club, including a 3-0 triumph when they last met at Allianz Riviera in April 2024.

The disappointment of losing to a bitter rival quickly evaporated at Lorient, who followed up a 2-0 defeat to Brest by ending on the right side of that same scoreline last week.

Losses have been few and far between for Olivier Pantaloni’s men of late, with this team suffering just one defeat in their previous 14 competitive fixtures.

Four of their previous five league outings have ended with Lorient collecting maximum points, though this weekend they could lose consecutive away encounters in this competition for the first time since October-November of last year.

A victory for them this weekend would only be their third in the top-flight this season, equalling their entire total from their previous Ligue 1 campaign in 2023-24.

Heading into matchday 23, Lorient are a mere three points behind Rennes for a spot in Europe next season and appear well positioned to remain in the top flight, currently 14 points above Auxerre, who are in the relegation playoff position.

Les Merlus could win both league meetings with Nice this weekend for the first time in their history, after claiming a 3-1 triumph against them at home in November.

Nice Ligue 1 form:

Nice form (all competitions):

Lorient Ligue 1 form:

Lorient form (all competitions):

Team News

Elye Wahi is questionable for Nice on Sunday with a knock, Mohamed Abdelmonem is still dealing with fitness issues and Melvin Bard is suffering from adductor pain.

Moise Bombito is also out due to a lower leg fracture, and Youssouf Ndayishimiye will be sidelined once again because of a cruciate ligament injury.

Souleymane Toure is doubtful at Lorient this weekend due to a knock, as is Trevan Sanusi because of a sore knee, while Abdoulaye Faye could miss another game with a hamstring strain.

Pablo Pagis and Jean-Victor Makengo scored for them against Angers, while Yvon Mvogo made four stops to collect a clean sheet.

Nice possible starting lineup:

Dupe; Clauss, Oppong, Bah, Abdi; Sanson, Vanhoutte; Cho, Diop, Louchet; Carlos

Lorient possible starting lineup:

Mvogo; Silva, Talbi, Yongwa; Le Bris, Cadiou, Abergel, Kouassi; Makengo, Pagis; Dieng

We say: Nice 1-1 Lorient

Although Nice have looked stronger at home, they have thrown away good performances time and again this season, which is why we believe the visitors could get a result from this contest.

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