Angers, who are currently six points from safety and are at the bottom of Ligue 1, continued to slide towards an apparent relegation when they resumed competitive play on Wednesday.
At Stade Francois Coty, they faced fellow drop-zone occupants Ajaccio, but were unable to respond after falling behind just before halftime. They lost 1-0 to their Corsican opponents, slipping further behind in the battle for survival.
With only eight points from their first 16 league games, Les Noirs et Blancs have had their worst stretch in the top division with eight straight losses.
After the drawn-out process of Gerard Baticle’s dismissal several weeks ago, the team has been led by interim head coach Abdel Bouhazama. The team is currently hosting a team that is in the running for a top-five finish before travelling to Strasbourg for the Coupe de France the following week.
The two stars of Morocco’s memorable Qatar 2022 campaign, midfielder Azzedine Ounahi and winger Sofiane Boufal, are both looking to leave Angers in the January transfer window. Angers currently has the worst defensive record in Ligue 1 and has more than two goals allowed per game.
Though they stumbled in their final game of 2022 and only managed to lose the league once more for the season, Lorient can still look forward to the new year with some optimism in contrast to their struggling opponents.
Lorient, who had a strong start to the season, have since fallen behind Lille and Monaco by two points each, but they are still ahead of both Lyon and Nice going into 2023.
Les Merlus’ head coach Regis Le Bris has already assisted them in matching their total number of league victories from last season, but he will be concerned that they have now gone six competitive games without a victory after previously posting a club-record six victories in a row.
1×2 Betting Odds
While Lorient has fallen down the table due to shaky play, facing a team that can’t seem to keep the back door closed could be the ideal way to start 2023.
Due to recent events that have left Angers demoralised, they must now host a team that frequently travels well, so their quest for victory should continue!
Although, the odds tell a different story!
Angers who have been disappointing in this season, are the underdogs in this but only just, because their odds of winning are @ 2.87.
Which makes the away side the slight favourites to win with odds @ 2.60.
The possibility of a stalemate and points shared, stands @ 3.76.
Total goals over/under
The odds that the total number of goals scored will be over 2.5, stands @ 2.01.
While the odds that the total number of goals will be under 2.5, stands @ 1.94.
The over/under odds paint a picture of a low scoring game, perhaps even a tight game!
But the winner by the end of it is predicted to be the away side, Lorient!
