Preview: Paris FC vs. Annecy - prediction, team news, lineups

Paris FC welcome relegation-threatened Annecy to Stade Sebastien-Charlety on Friday night as the Ligue 2 season draws to a close.

Annecy find themselves two points above the drop zone ahead of the final round of fixtures, while mid-table PFC have nothing left to play for.

Match preview

Paris FC head into the final round of fixtures on the back of a 1-1 draw at Dijon, with Julien Lopez cancelling out Marley Ake's opener to earn the visitors a point.

Thanks to last weekend's draw, the Blues have now avoided defeat in each of their previous six encounters, picking up three wins and three draws while keeping three clean sheets for good measure.

It is also worth noting that PFC have won each of their last three home games, dispatching Nimes, Grenoble and Sochaux, with six victories coming in their previous 10 league clashes at Stade Sebastien-Charlety.

With only two teams going up to Ligue 1 this season due to a rejigging of the French football pyramid, there are no Ligue 2 playoffs for Thierry Laurey's men to aim for, but the Parisians will be eager to finish the campaign on a high.

Meanwhile, Annecy enhanced their survival hopes with an impressive 1-0 victory over promotion-chasing Bordeaux last time out, courtesy of a ninth-minute goal from Vincent Pajot.

The Haute-Savoie outfit also extended their unbeaten run to five matches in the process, having notched two wins and three draws to move two points clear of the relegation zone with one game remaining.

Still, there is no hiding the fact that Laurent Guyot's side have one of the worst away records in the division, as they have managed to win just two of their 18 matches on the road this term.

Having failed to win any of their previous 12 away league games – recording six draws and six losses since a rare 4-0 victory at Guingamp back in October – Annecy may have to rely on results elsewhere in order to avoid relegation.

Team News

Paris FC have reported no fresh injury problems ahead of Friday's showdown, meaning that Thierry Laurey may be tempted to make limited changes to his favoured 3-1-4-2 formation.

Pierre-Yves Hamel is expected to join Julien Lopez in attack, with Sekou Sanogo anchoring the midfield, leaving Jordan Lefort, Maxime Bernauer and Kouadio-Yves Dabila to make up the three-man backline.

As for Annecy, they are still without long-term absentees Clement Billemaz and Romain Spano as the forwards continue to recover from serious knee injuries.

Having netted 20 goals this season, top scorer Moise Sahi will lead the line for the visitors, while playmaker Vincent Pajot will aim to enhance his tally of seven goals and three assists.

Paris FC possible starting lineup:

Filipovic; Dabila, Bernauer, Lefort; Sanogo; Macon, Chahiri, Kebbal, Mandouki; Hamel, Lopez

Annecy possible starting lineup:

Escales; Lajugie, Mendy, Mouanga, Jean; Phliponeau, Demoncy; Testud, Pajot, Shamal; Sahi

We say: Paris FC 1-1 Annecy

In danger of an immediate return to the third tier, Annecy will be desperate to claim all three points and secure their Ligue 2 status at Stade Sebastien-Charlety.

However, given Annecy's woeful away record, we expect Paris FC to hold the visitors to a draw on Friday, setting up a nervy end to the season for Guyot's men.

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