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

Two teams at opposing ends of the Ligue 1 table collide on Sunday, as Lorient are involved in the relegation fight this season, while Strasbourg are hoping to finish in a European place.

Despite the fact that they are having vastly different campaigns, they both head into this game on the back of a victory last weekend, providing confidence to each squad.

Match preview

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Even though Lorient find themselves 17th in the table, just above the relegation zone, the squad have been in good form across their previous six fixtures, securing three victories and a draw in that period.

Defensively, they have been impressive, keeping four clean sheets as Matthieu Dreyer has been thriving in net, which is a run they will want to continue this weekend.

During their most recent outing, Christophe Pelissier's men secured a 2-0 win against Clermont, with Ibrahima Kone and Leo Petrot both getting on the scoresheet.

However, while the performances have improved as of late, the squad will still be well aware of the relegation threat that is looming, with just a single point separating them and Saint-Etienne.

A defeat on Sunday could have a devastating effect that would see them slip into that position, yet at the same time, three points has the possibility of pushing them up to 14th in the table, highlighting how tight things are at the bottom.

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The visitors do not need to worry about that, as they are thriving towards the top end, currently sitting in fifth position, with the aim of ending the season in a European place.

Strasbourg are undefeated in their previous six games, winning half of those, and that type of form has allowed them to rise up in Ligue 1, becoming competitive in the league.

A victory on Sunday has the potential to see them climb into second place depending on other results, which is all the motivation they will require to be prepared.

An Alexander Djiku goal was enough to defeat Monaco last weekend, with the game finishing 1-0, which ended a run of three draws, and the squad will now be looking to kick on with another.

When the two teams met earlier this season it was a comfortable victory for Strasbourg, winning the game 4-0 with Ludovic Ajorque and Adrien Thomasson scoring, while Habib Diallo got a brace, which is a result they would be more than happy to repeat.

Team News

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Neither Stephane Diarra (thigh) nor Fabien Lemoine (calf) were able to feature last weekend because of injuries, and that is expected to be the case once again this time around.

However, Lorient will have the services of Laurent Abergel once again after he has served his suspension, which was the case in the previous outing for Julien Laporte, who did slot straight back into the starting lineup.

Ajorque is expected to lead the line for the visitors, as he remains the top scorer for the club, while he will likely be accompanied by Kevin Gameiro, even though he has gone four matches without a goal.

Adrien Thomasson missed out recently with a thigh problem, while both Eiji Kawashima and Ismael Doukoure have knee injuries, which are set to keep them all out once again, while Maxime Le Marchand has a back issue.

Lorient possible starting lineup:
Dreyer; Mendes, Laporte, Petrot, Le Goff; Innocent, Boisgard, Le Fee, Monconduit, Lauriente; Moffi

Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Sels; Guilbert, Perrin, Nyamsi, Djiku, Lienard; Sissoko, Prcic, Bellegarde; Ajorque, Gameiro

We say: Lorient 1-3 Strasbourg

Lorient have been performing well recently, and the squad will believe that they can continue that run this weekend, but they face tough competition on Sunday.

Strasbourg are in fantastic form, and with the possibility of climbing into a Champions League position ahead of them, it is unlikely that they will slip up here.

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