A pair of newly-promoted sides in Ligue 1 will square off on New Year's Day, as Toulouse search for their first win in the top flight since October when they host Ajaccio at Stadium de Toulouse.
Le Tefece ended 2022 on a sour note as they were thumped 6-1 by Marseille and are currently a point above Ajaccio, who defeated Angers 1-0 on Wednesday.
Match preview
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After a one-month pause from league play because of the World Cup, it seems that Philippe Montanier and his team still have unresolved issues.
Toulouse never got going at the Stade Velodrome, going behind after just 13 minutes, and it only got worse from there as the Ligue 2 champions from 2021-22 registered their worst defeat in the top flight since November 2015.
They return home where things have improved, earning points in four of their last five domestic encounters, while three of their four wins this season have come at Stadium de Toulouse.
Le Tele cannot afford too many more slip ups given how close the standings are at the moment, with just three points separating them from Brest in the final relegation position.
In their title-winning campaign a season ago, Les Pitchouns only conceded 33 goals, but after just 16 games in Ligue 1, they have already matched that total.
They have not lost a domestic encounter at home to Ajaccio in over a decade, drawing them 2-2 in this exact fixture during the previous campaign.
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Meanwhile, an extended break from domestic play did not seem to impact the club from Corsica this week as they extended their unbeaten run in Ligue 1 to three games with a victory over Angers.
That run has enabled them to climb out of relegation danger, though only one of their four victories on the current campaign occurred against a team above them in the table.
Olivier Pantaloni's men conceded the fewest goals in Ligue 2 last season (19), and even though they have allowed five more in the top flight so far, it is still the lowest among teams in the bottom half of the table.
L'ours have become accustomed to sustaining more pressure, possessing the ball fewer than 50% of the time in six of their last seven domestic affairs.
In their previous four top-flight encounters away from home, three of their four goals conceded came in the second half.
After dropping their opening three away fixtures in the top flight this season, Ajaccio have lost just one of their last five domestic road fixtures.
Team News
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A 66th-minute penalty from Branco van den Boomen was of little consolation to Toulouse on Thursday, as goalkeeper Maxime Dupe conceded as many goals in that encounter as he had in his previous three road fixtures in the top flight.
Rhys Healey notched the opener in their previous league fixture versus Ajaccio a season ago, which they drew 2-2, Rafael Ratao has three goals this season after scoring 10 in the last campaign, while Ado Onaiwu also had 10 in 2021-22 but has yet to find the back of the net this season.
Theocharis Tsingaras and Mikkel Desler are out until mid-January with groin injuries, while their leading scorer Zakaria Aboukhlal, who had a goal for Morocco in their 2-0 World Cup triumph over Belgium, is searching for his first goal in Ligue 1 since the beginning of October.
Benjamin Leroy stopped four Angers efforts this week for his first clean sheet in the league since mid-September, Youcef Belaili had the only goal of that game, the first for him in 2022-23, and Fernand Mayembo got his first start domestically since the end of August.
Former midfielder Qazim Laci had a brace the last time they faced Toulouse in a league fixture, helping his side earn a single point, Riad Nouri scored the only goal when they defeated them at home 1-0 last season, while their top goalscorer in 2022-23 Mounaim El Idrissy is without a goal in his last two domestic fixtures.
Mickael Barreto has a sore thigh, Romain Hamouma is suffering from a calf problem, Kevin Spadanuda is expected back in a few weeks from a contracture and Jean Botue should return around that same time from his strain injury.
Toulouse possible starting lineup:
Dupe; Zanden, Nicolaisen, Rouault, Mawissa Elebi; Van den Boomen, Spierings, Birmancevic; Aboukhlal, Dallinga, Ratao
Ajaccio possible starting lineup:
Leroy; Youssouf, Mayembo, Diallo, Alphonse; Nouri, Marchetti, Coutadeur, Belaili; El Idrissy, Hamouma
We say: Toulouse 1-1 Ajaccio
The home team might be a little shell-shocked given what happened to them earlier this week at the hands of Marseille.
Fortunately, they are facing a team with less quality than OM, so they should have an easier time containing Ajaccio, who are more known for their defending than attacking.
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Top tip
Joel Lefevre
