Preview: Troyes vs. Toulouse - prediction, team news, lineups

Neither side managed to bag a win on the opening weekend of the season, so both teams will be hoping to correct that when they face each other in Northeastern France.

Match preview

After finishing 15th in their first season back in Ligue 1 last time out, Bruno Irles will be hoping to keep his side away from relegation trouble having made a positive impact since taking the head coach role in January earlier this year.

The sale of talented right-back Giulian Biancone to Nottingham Forest for £9m has allowed ESTAC to bring in six new players, most notably splashing almost £6m on 18-year-old Savio from Atletico Mineiro.

However, despite twice pegging Montpellier back away from home last Sunday, Troyes' hearts were broken by Teji Tedy Savanier's 81st-minute winner. In truth, there was little the visitors could have done to prevent conceding the crucial goal, with Savanier letting the ball run across his body before expertly firing the ball into the top corner from outside of the area.

Despite defeat, Irles would have been proud of the spirit his players showed to fight back on two occasions, with Mama Balde scoring a brilliant volley himself. However, the pressure is on to secure a positive result against newly-promoted Toulouse this weekend.

Indeed, Toulouse bounced back to Ligue 1 at the second time of asking, with Philippe Montanier winning the Ligue 2 title in his debut season in charge of the club.

The 57-year-old has only added four players to his squad for a total of around £5m so far this transfer window, although only Bafode Diakite has exited the building on a permanent deal, with the 21-year-old defender moving to Lille for almost £3m.

Les Violets were impressive when claiming a 1-1 draw against Nice, who finished fifth last season and are well-fancied to compete for a Champions League qualification spot once again this season.

Thijs Dallinga bagged a debut goal by guiding Branco van den Boomen's inswinging cross beyond the reach of Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka, with another debutant stealing the show in the form of former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey's late equaliser after a trademark late run into the box and well-placed finish into the top corner.

Still, a draw was a fine result to kick-start their campaign, and Toulouse may learn more from how they fare in Troyes on Sunday in any case, with both sides expected to be towards the bottom of Ligue 1 this season.

Troyes Ligue 1 form:

Toulouse Ligue 1 form:

Team News

Troyes are likely to remain without Abdu Conte and captain Adil Rami until later in August, with both defenders still recovering from muscular injuries.

Irles only named seven of a possible nine substitutes at Montpellier last weekend, so is unlikely to make any changes to a starting XI which generally performed well despite defeat.

Likewise, Montanier will be inclined to stick with the same group of players which exceeded expectations to claim a draw against Nice.

However, the former Nottingham Forest and Lens boss does have more options to change the game from the bench, including English striker Rhys Healey, who scored 35 goals across two seasons in Ligue 2 for the club.

Troyes possible starting lineup:

Gallon; Bruus, Porozo, Palmer-Brown, Salmier, Larouci; Ripart, Kouame, Tardieu, Chavalerin; Balde

Toulouse possible starting lineup:

Dupe; Desler, Rouault, Nicolaisen, Sylla; Spierings, van den Boomen; Ngoumou, Chaibi, Ratao; Dallinga

We say: Troyes 1-1 Toulouse

With both sides keen to avoid defeat, we can envisage a share of the spoils in Troyes on Sunday.

There is little separating these sides in terms of quality, even if the visitors may surprise a few this season as they look to avoid an instant return to Ligue 2.

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