Lorient vs. Lens (Sunday, 12.00pm)
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Lorient enter their 23rd Ligue 1 encounter with a chance to end a lengthy winless run domestically (15 games) when they host Lens, who are hoping to climb back into the race for a spot in Europe next season.
Les Merlus are second from the bottom, but only two points behind Metz for a relegation playoff, while Les Sang et Or were eliminated by Monaco in the Coupe de France this past weekend and are sitting a point back of Rennes for a place in the Europa Conference League.
We say: Lorient 2-1 Lens
These teams may be separated by 16 points in the standings at the moment, but Lorient have shown tremendous effort in recent games and might be due for a break in this encounter.
Les Merlus have beaten Lens in five of their previous six home fixtures, failing to concede to them in each of those victories, and this group have fared well against teams in the top half of the table, defeating Monaco, Lille and Nice.
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Reims vs. Bordeaux (Sunday, 2.00pm)
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Reims head into their second home fixture of 2022 without a goal in their previous three Ligue 1 encounters as they host Bordeaux on Sunday at Stade Auguste-Delaune.
The club from the Coronation City are winless in their previous four matches played in all competitions, losing in a shootout to Bastia at the Coupe de France last weekend, while Les Girondins got themselves out of the relegation zone, narrowly defeating Strasbourg 4-3.
We say: Reims 1-1 Bordeaux
Despite scoring four times in their previous encounter, Bordeaux might find it a lot more challenging to penetrate a team like Reims, who are not nearly as aggressive as Strasbourg, and do not allow a ton of space in behind them.
As poor as Les Girondins have been defensively this season, aside from Ekitike, Les rouges et blancs have had a hard time creating chances in the final third, let alone being able to put those opportunities away.
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Troyes vs. Metz (Sunday, 2.00pm)
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Metz have an opportunity to move out of relegation danger in Ligue 1 on Sunday when they travel to Stade de l'Aube for a date with Troyes.
ESTAC conceded two penalty kicks in their previous encounter, dropping a 2-1 decision to Angers, while Les Grenats gave up two second-half strikes to Nice, losing 2-0.
We say: Troyes 2-0 Metz
Troyes should have done better versus Angers, but the good news for them is that Metz lack quality in the final third, meaning that even if they make a few mistakes, they might not be punished, while their press in past encounters has been effective.
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Strasbourg vs. Nantes (Sunday, 2.00pm)
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Two teams separated by three points in Ligue 1 will face each other this weekend as Strasbourg host Nantes at Stade de la Meinau on Sunday.
The Alsatians spotted Bordeaux a 3-0 lead in their previous fixture, eventually falling 4-3, while La Maison Jaune picked up their first league victory of 2022, defeating Lorient 4-2.
We say: Strasbourg 2-0 Nantes
Nantes are riding plenty of momentum, but they have not proven that they are capable of defeating sides near the top of the standings, and as good as their defence was last weekend, Racing are likely to create a lot more challenges for them.
Strasbourg can be an intimidating team to play against, as they do not back down from a duel, and despite losing their last match, they should be feeling supremely confident about their ability to score goals and that alone may be enough to win them this match.
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Nice vs. Clermont (Sunday, 2.00pm)
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Fresh from knocking defending Coupe de France champions Paris Saint-Germain out of the tournament, Nice return to Ligue 1 action with the visit of Clermont to the Allianz Riviera on Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the visitors enter the contest with Christophe Galtier's side having just ended their winless and scoreless streak with a 2-1 success over a faltering Rennes outfit.
We say: Nice 3-1 Clermont
Clermont cannot welcome nine-goal striker Bayo back to the starting lineup quickly enough amid their goalscoring struggles, and Gastien is sure to pinpoint Nice's poor defensive home record to his crop.
However, Galtier's side are sweeping aside everything in their path right now and ought to be on cloud nine after getting the better of PSG, so we can only predict another comfortable three points for Nice.
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Rennes vs. Brest (Sunday, 4.00pm)
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An under-performing Rennes outfit will desperately seek a return to winning ways when Brest pay a visit to the Roazhon Park for Sunday's Ligue 1 encounter.
Bruno Genesio's side went down 2-1 to newly-promoted Clermont before the international break, while the visitors bowed out of the Coupe de France 2-0 to Nantes.
We say: Rennes 2-0 Brest
With Rennes welcoming three key cogs back to the team at a vital moment and Brest losing their top goalscorer and joint-top assister, this is the ideal opportunity for Genesio's side to pick up a morale-boosting win.
Les Pirates' leaky defence on the road has cost them all season long, and a refreshed Rennes side ought to give their supporters something to cheer with a professional performance.
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Lille vs. PSG (Sunday, 7.45pm)
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The champions meet the challengers in Sunday's Ligue 1 evening encounter as Lille welcome runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
Les Dogues went down 2-0 to Brest just before the international break, while Mauricio Pochettino's side were recently knocked out of the Coupe de France by Nice.
We say: Lille 0-1 Paris Saint-Germain
PSG have certainly mastered the art of winning ugly, but another wave of important players absent will make it difficult for Les Parisiens to stamp their authority on the fortress that is the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
Pochettino's side ought to feel confident about their prospects of keeping Les Dogues at bay if David needs more time to recover from his international exploits, and we can see Lille's home resistance being broken by the runaway leaders, but not without a fight.
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