Lorient vs Troyes prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-03-11 14:00.
Lorient’s longest ever top-flight winning streak (W6) captivated their fans five months ago, but they’ve since felt the harsh reality of Ligue 1 football as their side followed that up with just three wins in their last 16 games (D6, L7). Two of those victories came against current bottom-three teams, so the arrival of 19th-place Troyes should give coach Régis Le Bris and his team belief they can reduce their current six-point gap to the European places.
A goalless draw at Lyon last weekend did highlight the offensive deficiencies of the Merlus since Terem Moffi and Dango Ouattara left the club in January, as they have failed to score in four of their last five league games. Things are no better at the other end of the pitch, with their 36 goals conceded the joint-most amongst top-half sides at the end of the last round.
Relegation-battling Troyes were on the cusp of suffering their sixth consecutive loss in Ligue 1 last weekend, but after scoring a 91st-minute equaliser they forced high-flying Monaco to settle for a 2-2 draw. Despite a worrying average of 0.55 points per game since his appointment in November, coach Patrick Kisnorbo remains positive however, praising his side as they “didn't give up" on Sunday.
ESTAC may have won just one of their last 18 Ligue 1 matches (D7, L10), but they find themselves only two points adrift of safety ahead of this round, suggesting they could climb out of the four-team relegation zone with a win here. It has been all or nothing for the visitors on the road however, as Troyes are the only Ligue 1 side yet to register an away draw this campaign (W3, L10).
Players to watch: Lorient will hope Romain Faivre can find the net, given he has led his team to victory in his last eight goalscoring appearances. Back from suspension, Troyes’ Mama Baldé would become the third player in the club history to score over ten goals in a single first division campaign with a goal here.
Hot stat: A league-high 85% of the opening goals in Troyes’ away matches were scored in the opening 30 minutes.