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

Les Merlus picked up an unexpected point on the opening weekend of the Ligue 1 season, while Les Aiglons drew 1-1 with Nice in their first match.

Match preview

To say that Lorient dodged a bullet last weekend would be a colossal understatement, as Regis Le Bris's men saw just 22% possession at the Parc des Princes while failing to register a single attempt on target.

Paris Saint-Germain, meanwhile, racked up 20 shots and peppered Lorient's goal throughout the contest, but the visitors managed to weather the storm and leave the capital with a precious point after producing a strong defensive performance.

It is also worth remembering that Lorient claimed a memorable 3-1 victory at PSG towards the end of the previous campaign, proving that Les Merlus are more than capable of competing with - and beating - the top teams in the division.

Having registered an impressive top-half finish last season - thanks largely to a run of nine victories in 19 home league games - the Brittany outfit will be confident of enjoying another successful campaign under Le Bris.

Nice, on the other hand, looked destined to kick-start their 2023-24 campaign with a win over Lille, as Les Aiglons found themselves 1-0 up deep into second-half stoppage time on the opening weekend of the season.

However, the visitors silenced the Allianz Riviera crowd in the dying seconds of the game, with Bafode Diakite's 94th-minute equaliser cancelling out Gaetan Laborde's first-half opener.

New manager Francesco Farioli managed to oversee just one victory in five pre-season matches, suffering defeats to Lausanne, Braga and Fiorentina in the process, although the 34-year-old Italian almost made the perfect start to life in Ligue 1.

Having made a name for himself in Turkey with Fatih Karagumruk and Alanyaspor, Farioli will be determined to prove himself in France, but he will likely need plenty of time to fully instil his methods into the squad.

Lorient Ligue 1 form:

Lorient form (all competitions):

Nice Ligue 1 form:

Nice form (all competitions):

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Team News

Lorient will be without injured midfielder Quentin Boisgard (foot) this weekend, while defender Loris Mouyokolo (Achilles) is a doubt for Sunday's clash.

Le Bris will be reluctant to change the starting XI that inspired the draw with PSG last time out, meaning that Bamo Meite, Montassar Talbi and Julien Laporte will likely be the centre-backs in a 5-4-1 formation.

On the flip side, Nice look set to be without the injured duo of Antoine Mendy and Alexis Claude-Maurice for the foreseeable future, with the latter requiring treatment during pre-season.

Despite the rumours regarding his future, Khephren Thuram is expected to continue in Nice's midfield this weekend, while Youssouf Ndayishimiye and Morgan Sanson should join Thuram in the engine room.

Lorient possible starting lineup:

Mvogo; Kalulu, Meite, Talbi, Laporte, Le Goff; Faivre, Abergel, Makengo, Le Bris; Dieng

Nice possible starting lineup:

Bulka; Atal, Todibo, Dante, Bard; Sanson, Ndayishimiye, Thuram; Laborde, Moffi, Boga

We say: Lorient 2-2 Nice

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