With two rounds of league fixtures left to play, two sides separated by five points in the middle of the Ligue 1 table will square off on Saturday as Montpellier HSC entertain Nice.
A victory last time out saw the hosts strengthen their position in 12th spot, while their visitors are aiming to climb back into the top eight with Clermont Foot just one point better off at this late stage.
Match preview
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Montpellier head into the end of the 2022-23 Ligue 1 campaign in relatively high spirits, having enjoyed an impressive upturn in form in recent months under the new management of Michel Der Zakarian.
The Armenian boss returned to the hot seat in mid-February, with La Paillade sat 15th on just 20 points from their opening 22 league outings, and they have since turned a corner, putting 27 more points on the board in 14 games, having managed eight victories in that time while only suffering three defeats.
The most recent of those losses came away at Lyon in a dramatic contest earlier in May, as they led 4-1 thanks to four goals from Elye Wahi, only to leave empty-handed as Alexandre Lacazette netted four of his own, but they would then be on the right end of a late change in scoreline with Faitout Maouassa levelling their following contest at home to Lorient at a goal apiece in the 94th minute.
Der Zakarian's side then travelled to take on strugglers Nantes most recently on Saturday, and they would make a return to winning ways in convincing fashion, dishing out a 3-0 beating away from home as Jordan Ferri opened the scoring in the first half before Arnaud Nordin and Falaye Sacko also found the net in a dominant display.
Thanks to their impressive rise in recent months, Montpellier have steered well clear of the threat of relegation to France's second tier, and now sitting 12th with a five-point gap up to Saturday's ninth-placed visitors with two games left to play, they will look to keep their hopes of climbing even further and potentially into the top half alive with what would be a 15th league win of the campaign.
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Their opponents, meanwhile, are hoping to keep hold of their top-half spot after two disappointing results in their last outings.
Following Lucien Favre's dismissal in early January, Didier Digard stepped up to manage Nice with the side sat on 21 points from 17 league outings, and he has certainly overseen an improvement, with Les Aiglons picking up 31 points from his 19 league games at the helm thus far.
His tenure began with a 12-game unbeaten run stretching to early April, in which they posted six victories and six draws, but form would then tail off as they lost their next three matches, before bouncing back with consecutive triumphs over Troyes and sixth-placed Rennes, with Gaetan Laborde and Terem Moffi getting on the scoresheet in a 2-1 beating of the latter.
Those results saw Digard's side climb back up to eighth place, but they have since failed to capitalise and nail down a top-half finish, now coming into the penultimate round of games on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Strasbourg and a goalless draw at home to 13th-placed Toulouse last time out.
While they still sit ninth, Les Aiglons are only ahead of Lorient on goal difference and 11th-placed Reims by one point, and they will be keen to bounce back to winning ways on Saturday to avoid dropping into the bottom half after an encouraging spell under new management.
Team News
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Montpellier will only look to make minimal changes after their dominant victory last time out, although the attack will be bolstered by the return of Elye Wahi, who has starred in Ligue 1 with 17 goals and six assists this season, including four goals in the eventual defeat to Lyon.
That may put Wahbi Khazri's position up front in doubt, given the competition for attacking spots, with Teji Savanier another key man in an advanced midfield role having netted 10 league goals this term, while Arnaud Nordin has nailed down his spot on the right wing with Faitout Maouassa and Stephy Mavididi fighting to feature on the opposite flank.
Further back, Joris Chotard will join Jordan Ferri at the base of midfield, while Boubakar Kouyate and Maxime Esteve should continue their partnership at the heart of the back four.
Nice are set to remain without midfielder Aaron Ramsey and winger Nicolas Pepe due to injuries, and Digard could opt for an unchanged starting XI on Saturday from their goalless stalemate last time out, with Pablo Rosario, Hicham Boudaoui and Alexis Beka Beka again set to preferred in the engine room over the likes of Ross Barkley.
Gaetan Laborde should again play a key part in the front line, having netted a team-high tally of 10 league goals this season, while Terem Moffi has managed five in his 14 appearances thus far and should again take up the central role with 18-year-old Badredine Bouanani lining up on the right flank in Pepe's absence.
Brazilian veteran Dante will continue to offer plenty of experience in the middle of the defence, likely alongside Jean-Clair Todibo with Youcef Atal and Jordan Lotomba taking up full-back roles.
Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Lecomte; Sacko, Kouyate, Esteve, Sylla; Chotard, Ferri; Nordin, Savanier, Mavididi; Wahi
Nice possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Atal, Todibo, Dante, Lotomba; Rosario, Boudaoui, Beka Beka; Bouanani, Moffi, Laborde
We say: Montpellier HSC 2-1 Nice
The two teams both have the ability to hurt one another, and while it is the visitors who currently hold pole position in the fight for top-half places, we fancy a confident Montpellier side boosted by the return of Elye Wahi to come out on top on home turf.
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