Two sides desperately out of form go head to head in Ligue 1 on Sunday, with Montpellier HSC hosting Metz at the Stade de la Mosson.
The hosts have seen their challenge for European football fall apart following their poor recent spell, whilst the visitors could finally see their inevitable relegation from the top flight confirmed depending on results.
Match preview
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Although Montpellier certainly played their part in a thrilling game of football at Lyon last Saturday, they once again failed to pick up a positive result as their winless streak was extended to five games.
A relatively impressive first-half display looked to be all for nothing as they headed towards half time at 2-0 down, but a quickfire double from Sepe Elye Wahi and Teji Savanier on the stroke of half time pulled the visitors deservedly level.
However, Olivier Dall'Oglio's side could do little to prevent the Lyon onslaught after the interval, with a brace from Houssem Aouar either side of Karl Toko Ekambi's goal condemning Montpellier to a 5-2 defeat.
As a result, La Paillade head into Sunday's encounter having picked up just one point from the last 15 available, and three wins from their 15 Ligue 1 outings in 2022.
The alarming slump in form has potentially cost Montpellier a place in the continental qualification spots, with 15 points now separating them from the top five to leave Sunday's hosts with nothing left to play for in the remaining weeks of the campaign.
However, with the disappointing run since the turn of year likely to see them finish in a lowly bottom-half position, Dall'Oglio, and some of his players, could well be playing for their futures ahead of a targeted significant improvement for the 2022-23 season.
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Meanwhile, Metz would snatch at the chance to be in Montpellier's relatively disappointing situation heading into matchday 35.
The visitors have endured a disastrous season in Ligue 1, and with no wins, and just five goals being scored, in the 13 games that have followed the 1-0 victory at Reims back in January, they could well be put out of their misery on Sunday.
Les Grenats sit at the foot of the table with just four wins all campaign, which leaves them with a near impossible task of catching Saint-Etienne in the relegation playoff spot in order to survive.
Seven points separate the two sides ahead of the weekend action, and should Les Verts pick up an unlikely three points at high-flying Rennes, defeat at Montpellier would see the relegation to Ligue 2 confirmed for Metz.
Therefore, all that is really left to play for at the struggling outfit is pride, with boss Frederic Antonetti keen to see his side show a bit of character in their inevitable drop out of the top flight.
Although, any character was certainly not on display when Metz were beaten 1-0 at home to Brest last weekend, with straight red cards from Jemerson and Alexandre Oukidja within seconds of each other summing up their disastrous season in an instant, during another miserable afternoon for the league's bottom side.
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Team News
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Montpellier will have full-back Mihailo Ristic back available to them on Sunday, after the Serbian served a five-match suspension for his red card at Bordeaux back in March.
He is expected to come back into the side ahead of Ambroise Oyongo, but Pedro Mendes and Thibault Tamas remain sidelined despite nearing returns from serious knee injuries.
Former Newcastle United midfielder Remy Cabella could drop out of the starting 11 after failing to register any goals or assists in his first four appearances since joining the club recently, with Florent Mollet the likely candidate to replace the Frenchman.
As for the visitors, Jemerson and Oukidja will sit out following their red cards in last weekend's defeat, with Marc-Aurele Caillard being provided with an opportunity between the posts in the absence of the latter.
Dylan Bronn, Fali Cande and Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik remain doubts to return from injury, which would leave Antonetti with limited defensive options at his disposal.
Ibrahim Amadou and Habib Maiga are also doubts due to cheekbone and thigh injuries respectively, whilst Matthieu Udol remains a long-term absentee.
Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Omlin; Souquet, Cozza, Sakho, Ristic; Ferri, Chotard; Mavididi, Savanier, Mollet; Elye Wahi
Metz possible starting lineup:
Caillard; Mbengue, Kouyate, Niakate; Centonze, Pajot, Traore, Sarr, Delaine; De Preville, Niane
We say: Montpellier HSC 2-0 Metz
With both sides lacking in confidence following awful runs of form, it is unlikely to be a spectacle full of goals on Sunday.
Although the hosts look far from their usual best, they should possess enough to see off a poor visiting Metz side that continue to lack any character and fight as they slide towards an inevitable relegation.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Montpellier HSC win with a probability of 59.78%. A draw had a probability of 22.2% and a win for Metz had a probability of 18.05%.
The most likely scoreline for a Montpellier HSC win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.42%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (10.72%) and 2-1 (9.89%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (10.53%), while for a Metz win it was 0-1 (5.61%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 4.6% likelihood.
