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NederlandBordeaux will be out to end a four-game winless streak in Ligue 1 when they travel to relegation-threatened Nimes for Sunday's top-flight showdown.
The hosts ended their own barren run with a 2-0 victory over Dijon last time out, whereas Bordeaux held Marseille to a goalless stalemate.
Match preview
© Reuters
Pascal Plancque still has a long road ahead of him if he is to somehow pull Nimes out of the danger zone, but he at least claimed his first win as Crocodiles manager with a comfortable 2-0 triumph over basement side Dijon last Sunday.
Renaud Ripart and Niclas Eliasson both made the net ripple as Nimes moved three points clear of their relegation rivals, and while Plancque's men have a game in hand over 18th-placed Nantes, they are four points behind their adversaries and cannot climb above the dotted line no matter what happens this weekend.
Les Crocodiles had lost their previous four matches - conceding at least three goals each time - before their victory over Dijon, and while almost any team could overcome the league's whipping boys right now, that win ought to have done wonders for Nimes' confidence, and Plancque's in particular.
However, Nimes' away form is largely the reason that they are still in with a fighting chance of staying up, as Les Crocodiles have lost their last nine on home soil in all competitions - eight of those coming in the league - and a ninth straight Ligue 1 defeat at the Stade des Costieres would see them set an unwanted top-flight record for consecutive losses.
A 4-0 thrashing of Brest in August remains the only time that Nimes have taken all three points from a fixture on familiar territory this season, and the 51 goals that they have already shipped this season is by far the worst in the division, although Bordeaux are not exactly renowned for any sort of prolific nature.
Inconsistency continues to be the root of all of Bordeaux's problems this term, although Jean-Louis Gasset's men did at least end a three-game losing streak by holding Marseille to a draw at the Matmut Atlantique last time out.
Marseille travelled to Bordeaux having not won there in 43 years, and Les Girondins ensured that their agonising wait for an away victory would continue for a little while longer as there were no goals to be had in Sunday's battle - a result which marked Bordeaux's first home clean sheet of 2021.
However, Gasset would have no doubt been frustrated to see his side take just one point from that fixture after Leonardo Balerdi and Dario Benedetto both saw red for Marseille, as Les Girondins - who have now slipped to 11th - could not make their two-man advantage count in the final 30 minutes.
At a time where Josh Maja has kicked off his loan at Fulham in perfect style, Bordeaux must get Hwang Ui-jo - who boasts just one goal in his last four outings - firing on all cylinders again, although Gasset's men have only failed to score in two of their 12 away matches this term.
Bordeaux put Nimes to the sword 2-0 earlier in the season, and the visitors will aspire to win on Les Crocodiles' ground for the first time since the 1983-84 season this weekend.
Nimes Ligue 1 form: LWLLLW
Nimes form (all competitions): WLLLLW
Bordeaux Ligue 1 form: WWLLLD
Bordeaux form (all competitions): WLLLLD
Team News
© Reuters
Plancque still has a plethora of absentees to take into account, with Sidy Sarr, Pablo Martinez and Loick Landre all nursing various injuries, but the latter two reportedly have outside chances of returning for Sunday's game.
Florian Miguel was forced off just before half time against Dijon due to nausea, Plancque confirmed, but the defender is understood to be training well and should be fine for the weekend.
Eliasson will certainly hope to earn a recall to the starting lineup after his goal at the weekend, with Yassine Benrahou potentially being the unlucky one to drop out.
Bordeaux's double pivot of Otavio and Toma Basic has been broken up in recent weeks due to injuries to both players, with the latter being forced off in the first half against Marseille.
With Otavio still injured, Jean Michael Seri will continue in the middle of the park alongside Yacine Adli, while Enock Kwateng's spot at right-back is also safe as Youssouf Sabaly recovers from a thigh problem.
With Gasset's options in midfield depleted further, Samuel Kalu should return out wide, allowing Hatem Ben Arfa to occupy his usual number 10 role.
Nimes possible starting lineup:
Reynet; Alakouch, Briancon, Miguel, Meling; Cubas; Ferhat, Deaux, Ripart, Eliasson; Kone
Bordeaux possible starting lineup:
Costil; Kwateng, Baysse, Koscielny, Benito; Adli, Seri; Kalu, Ben Arfa, Oudin; Hwang
We say: Nimes 1-2 Bordeaux
Bordeaux will hardly get a better opportunity to rediscover their goalscoring touch than against the league's leakiest defence, although the early signs for Nimes under Plancque are relatively promising. Les Girondins cannot go into this fixture expecting an easy three points, and the hosts could give them a good run for their money, but we still expect Gasset's men to claim a long-awaited triumph.
