Preview: Bordeaux vs. Strasbourg - prediction, team news, lineups

Bordeaux and Strasbourg will both seek to recover from their latest setbacks when they do battle at the Matmut Atlantique in Ligue 1 on Sunday afternoon.

Les Girondins were put to the sword by Montpellier HSC 3-1 last time out, while Strasbourg suffered a similarly demoralising defeat to Lens before the international break.

Match preview

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Having finally managed to end their torrid fortunes against the league's whipping boys Dijon, Bordeaux prepared for the trip to an in-form Montpellier with a sense of newfound confidence for the first time since the turn of the year.

Things were looking up for Jean-Louis Gasset after Hwang Ui-jo broke the deadlock with his ninth goal of the campaign - and his third in two matches - but Montpellier came back through Junior Sambia, Gaetan Laborde and Stephy Mavididi in what ultimately turned out to be a comfortable triumph for La Paillade.

With a terrible record of one win, one draw and eight defeats from their last 10 matches across all competitions, Bordeaux are now closer to the bottom three than they are to the European places, as the 13th-placed Girondins are seven points clear of the bottom three with eight games left to play.

It would be unheard of for a club of Bordeaux's stature to become embroiled in a relegation dogfight, but only Dijon have lost more games than Gasset's side in the league since the turn of the year, and they are also winless in five at the Matmut Atlantique since overcoming Angers 2-1 on January 24.

Bordeaux have also failed to score in four of those five unsuccessful home outings - including a humbling 2-0 defeat to Toulouse in the Coupe de France - so there could hardly be a better time for Hwang to find his shooting boots again as his side look to silence any faint whispers of a survival fight.

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Strasbourg appeared to have turned a corner in the final two weeks of February, but back-to-back defeats to Rennes and Lens have dampened the spirits somewhat, with the latter overcoming Thierry Laurey's men 2-1 at the Stade de la Meinau on March 21.

Massadio Haidara took just five minutes to open the scoring with a fortuitous effort following a corner, and even though Jean-Ricner Bellegarde headed home into an empty net to restore parity 15 minutes later, the in-form Seko Fofana won the day for Lens on the 40-minute mark.

Les Coureurs had overcome Monaco and held Lille to draw before their brace of defeats, but they have steered clear of danger since the turn of the year and now boast a four-point cushion over 18th-placed Nimes, but both Les Crocodiles and Lorient are also starting to pick up results when it matters most.

Laurey's side must take on ruthless champions Paris Saint-Germain next week, so the importance of getting back on track against a woeful Bordeaux outfit cannot be underestimated, especially seeing as they could leapfrog their opponents in the table with yet another victory on the Girondins' turf.

Recent history suggests that Strasbourg are capable of doing just that, as Les Coureurs have won and kept clean sheets in their last three games at the Matmut Atlantique, but Bordeaux did beat them 2-0 earlier in the season.

Team News

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Bordeaux left-back Loris Benito will sit this game out for an accumulation of bookings, so Maxime Poundje will be given the opportunity to impress in Gasset's rearguard.

However, Hatem Ben Arfa has returned to training following a knee problem and should be available for selection here, while Mexer could also return and push Paul Baysse for a spot in defence alongside Laurent Koscielny.

Otavio and Samuel Kalu are definitely out for the hosts, while Ben Arfa's potential return could see Jean-Michael Seri or Yacine Adli drop out of the XI.

Strasbourg remain without their two most influential defenders in Alexander Djiku and Mohamed Simakan, although the latter is confirmed to be joining RB Leipzig at the end of the season.

Jean-Eudes Aholou came off injured after 56 minutes against Lens but should be fine for this game, while Habib Diallo will be eyeing a return to the starting lineup, so long as he can shake off concerns over knee pain.

Diallo's return could see Strasbourg revert to a back four, potentially with Lionel Carole being sacrificed in defence, but Kevin Zohi and Mehdi Chahiri are not expected to take part due to injuries.

Bordeaux possible starting lineup:
Costil; Sabaly, Mexer, Koscielny, Poundje; Basic, Adli; Oudin, Ben Arfa, De Preville; Hwang

Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Kawashima; Guilbert, Mitrovic, Kone, Caci; Sissoko, Aholou, Bellegarde; Thomasson; Ajorque, Diallo

We say: Bordeaux 1-1 Strasbourg

Strasbourg have become somewhat of a bogey team for Bordeaux on their own patch, but Les Girondins will look back fondly on their routine triumph over Les Coureurs earlier in the campaign. However, Strasbourg have improved since then, while Bordeaux have regressed, and even though both teams are desperately seeking a victory, we ultimately expect the spoils to be shared.