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In Ligue 1 action this week, Lorient will host Metz at the Stade Yves Allainmat-Le Moustoir on Wednesday evening in the 33rd game week of the French top flight.
Lorient have struggled for form of late. After their dramatic 6-2 comeback win against Saint-Etienne earlier this month, they lost 2-1 to Nice over the weekend, with Armand Lauriente's 60th-minute leveller not enough to rescue a point for Les Merlus.
The hosts sit 16th in the league table with 31 points from 32 games and are embroiled in what is set to be a tight race for survival. They are just two points above the relegation playoff spot and will look to widen that gap with a win later this week.
Metz, meanwhile, are in abysmal form at the moment and could soon find themselves back in the second tier. They played out a 1-1 draw against newly promoted Clermont Foot last time out and were fortunate not to have lost the game after Ibrahima Niane was sent off in the first half.
Metz sit rock-bottom in the Ligue 1 standings with just 24 points. They are in desperate need of points and need a win on Wednesday in a last-gasp push for survival.
Lorient vs Metz Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
• Wednesday's game will mark the 20th meeting between the two teams. Lorient have won ten of their previous matchups, while the visitors have come out on top six times. There have been three draws between the two teams.
• Neither team has kept a clean sheet in their last four meetings, with their last goalless stalemate coming in a Ligue 2 clash in 2018.
• Metz have the worst run of form in Ligue 1 at the moment, going winless in their last 11 outings.
• Lorient have a perfectly balanced home record this season ahead of their midweek clash, with five wins, five draws and five losses.
• The Maroons have scored the fewest away goals in the French top flight this season, scoring just 12 goals in 16 games.
Lorient vs Metz Prediction
Lorient have been rather inconsistent of late with two draws, three wins and four losses in their last nine games. They are unbeaten in back-to-back home games, though, and will look to make it three out of three this week.
Metz are on an 11-game winless run and have won just one of their last 15 outings across competitions. Their offensive output has been sub-par this season, scoring just 29 league goals, the fewest in the division. The hosts should win this one.
Prediction: Lorient 2-1 Metz.
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Lorient vs Metz Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Lorient.
Tip 2 - Both teams to score: YES (Both teams have hit the back of the net in six of their last seven meetings).
Tip 3 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Over 2.5 goals (Only one of the last ten meetings between the two teams has produced fewer than three goals).
