Last season’s Ligue 2 champions, FC Lorient have been one of the revelations of the season in the top flight. Particularly formidable at home, the Bretons are enjoying a campaign that has far exceeded expectations and currently sit ninth in the league table. And against the top teams in Ligue 1, Lorient have often shown this season that they are a force to be reckoned with, as demonstrated by their latest victory two weeks ago against Marseille (2-0).
For their part, Paris Saint-Germain will be looking to extend their winning run. Following comfortable victories over Nantes (3-0) and Angers (0-3), the capital club are determined to make it three in a row against yet another side from the North-West. To do so, the Rouge et Bleu can draw on their sparkling form, which continued three days ago against Bayern Munich in the Champions League (5-4), although the Parisians will also have to cope with the fatigue from a busy schedule.
1 – FC Lorient have lost just one of their last four Ligue 1 matches against Paris Saint-Germain, recording one win and two draws over that period.
2 – Paris have won their last two league matches by a margin of more than two goals (3-0 against Nantes and then Angers), and could make it three in a row for the first time since November 2023.
286 – With 286 fouls committed, Paris are the team with the fewest in Ligue 1 this season, ahead of… Lorient (299).
In goal for Lorient, it is of course Yvon Mvogo who will be expected to start. The Swiss international is one of the pillars of the Breton side, and he logically ranks ahead of Senegalese international Bingourou Kamara in the pecking order. In central defence, Bamo Meïté has seen more playing time of late and found some form. Back home on loan, the former Marseille player is expected to start alongside Abdoulaye Faye, who is on loan from Bayer Leverkusen. Having featured regularly in recent weeks, Nathaniel Adjei could lose his place to the return of Montassar Talbi, provided the latter is fit to start the match.
In the right-back position, Panos Katseris and Igor Silva will battle it out for the starting spot in the absence of Théo Le Bris, who is suffering from a hamstring injury. Whilst the former has shown promise recently, the latter offers greater defensive reliability, which could sway the Breton coaching staff. On the opposite flank, Arsène Kouassi (2 goals and 5 assists in Ligue 1 this season) continues to impress, and the former Ajaccio full-back has relegated Cameroonian international Darlin Yongwa to the bench. In midfield, Olivier Pantaloni will rely primarily on the experienced Laurent Abergel.
The Merlus captain is one of the key players for the Corsican manager, who will have to choose between Noah Cadiou and Arthur Avom to complete the midfield. As for Jean-Victor Makengo (3 goals, 2 assists), the attacking midfielder – who has previously played for Nice and Toulouse, among others – could feature on the right side of the attack. But in that position, he will be competing with Panos Katseris, should the Greek player not start slightly deeper. On the left wing, Pablo Pagis (9 goals, 3 assists) will of course be in the line-up, having established himself as the Merlus’s technical leader.
The French forward will be preferred to Dermane Karim and the young Trevan Sanusi (19), and he will be one of Lorient’s main threats, alongside Bamba Dieng (9 goals, 1 assist). On loan at Angers last season, the Senegalese international is fulfilling his potential this year and is likely to be preferred to Aiyegun Tosin (4 goals) or Sambou Soumano (4 goals, 2 assists). As for Mohamed Bamba, the Ivorian striker has not played for nearly three months and is highly unlikely to feature at the Parc.
