Montpellier vs Lorient prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-05-13 13:00.
With safety all but mathematically secured and European qualification an impossibility, Montpellier boss Michel Der Zakarian could perhaps afford to be a little bullish when stating that “not everyone can beat Monaco 4-0”, which his side did just a couple of rounds ago. That may be true, but his team followed that up by scoring four times again, yet still losing 5-4 against Lyon in Ligue 1’s most entertaining game of the season in terms of pure goalscoring action.
Even though Montpellier blew a 4-1 lead in that game, the future looks bright for them if they can continue to improve on their joint league-high 25 goals scored ahead of the round since the return of Der Zakarian as manager (W7, D2, L3). A continuation of that strong form wouldn’t surprise many, yet they’ve won just once in home league action against the top-ten sides (W1, D2, L5) so this may be harder than it appears for the 12th-placed side.
However unlikely it may be with just four rounds remaining, Lorient can still mathematically qualify for a European place following impressive back-to-back wins. Whilst those hopes dangle by a thread, Lorient can at least mathematically secure a higher finish than their hosts if they can end an almost decade-long wait for a win at this venue.
A failure to win seven of Les Merlus’ last eight away league games won’t inspire much confidence (W1, D2, L5), but the fact that the sole victory in that sequence came in their most recent trip to French behemoths PSG may boost hopes. As will their 68% unbeaten rate as pre-match outsiders at any Ligue 1 venue this season (W8, D7, L7) – a joint-second league high!
Players to watch: Elye Wahi became the first ever Montpellier player to score four goals in one Ligue 1 game last weekend, extending his top-flight scoring record to 17 for the season – no Montpellier player has eclipsed that since 2011/12! As for Lorient, Ibrahima KonĂ© scored crucial goals either side of half-time in the previous round to end his rotten run of three straight losing scoring appearances.
Hot streak: Montpellier are enjoying a current 12-game unbeaten run of top-flight meetings against Lorient (W7, D5).