Preview: Strasbourg vs. Montpellier HSC - prediction, team news, lineups

Yet to be assured of Ligue 1 survival, Strasbourg welcome Montpellier HSC to the Stade de la Meinau for Sunday's top-flight fixture.

The hosts managed to take a point off of European-chasing Marseille in a 1-1 draw last time out, while Montpellier lost for the second game in a row against Saint-Etienne.

Match preview

© Reuters

In what is expected to be his final season in the Strasbourg hotseat, Thierry Laurey cannot put his feet up just yet, as Les Coureurs are still embroiled in a scrap for survival with only three games left to play.

Strasbourg appeared to be heading for a crucial victory over Marseille when Stefan Mitrovic's bullet header opened the scoring in the 73rd minute, but Olympiens substitutes Luis Henrique and Dario Benedetto combined for the latter to head home in the 86th minute as the points were shared.

Last weekend's stalemate saw Strasbourg stretch their winless run in Ligue 1 to four matches, and their poor fortunes have resulted in them slipping to 16th in the table - four points clear of the relegation playoff place - so a win this weekend would give Les Coureurs the best chance possible of avoiding a bottom-three finish.

The hosts' only win in their last seven outings came in a 3-2 success at fellow strugglers Bordeaux on April 4, and Laurey's side will be desperate to avoid a fourth home defeat on the bounce this weekend following losses to Lens, Paris Saint-Germain and Nantes in recent weeks.

Not since May 2008 have Strasbourg endured a longer losing run on home soil, but with only four wins at the Stade de la Meinau all season, any chances of Les Coureurs preserving their Ligue 1 status this weekend are very slim indeed.

© Reuters

That being said, Montpellier are hardly enjoying a better patch of form themselves, as La Paillade's defeat to Nice - which ended their 15-game unbeaten run across all competitions - preceded a 2-1 loss to Saint-Etienne last Sunday.

Andy Delort unsurprisingly put Montpellier in the ascendancy with his 13th Ligue 1 goal of the season, but Romain Hamouma levelled the scores before a rare goal from captain Mathieu Debuchy condemned Montpellier to back-to-back defeats for the first time since January.

As impressive as La Paillade's unbeaten run was, they played out far too many draws to become realistic contenders for a top-five finish, and Michel Der Zakarian's men are mathematically out of the European equation as they sit eighth in the table - 10 points below Lens with nine points left to fight for.

Only one of Montpellier's last nine league games has ended with Der Zakarian's side coming up trumps, with that run also including six draws and their two recent defeats, and their only away win in nine attempts since the turn of the year came against Lyon on February 13, which highlights where many of their issues still lie.

Der Zakarian's men edged a seven-goal thriller 4-3 when they locked horns with Strasbourg earlier in the season, but Les Coureurs have only suffered two defeats in their last 15 home matches against La Paillade in the league, most recently suffering a 3-1 defeat in April 2019.

Team News

© Reuters

Strasbourg's creative hub Adrien Thomasson will return from a suspension this week to reclaim his rightful place in the team, which could see Jean-Ricner Bellegarde demoted back down the bench.

Ibrahima Sissoko was only fit enough to come on as a substitute against Marseille but is in line for a recall to the first XI here, but Dimitri Lienard will not want to make way after assisting Mitrovic for the opener last weekend.

Majeed Waris and Mohamed Simakan remain out, and the latter has likely played his last game for the club before he joins RB Leipzig in the summer.

Montpellier captain Hilton returns from a two-game ban this weekend and should link up with fellow veteran Daniel Congre in defence, meaning that Clement Vidal is expected to drop out.

However, the visitors are without Teji Savanier and Florent Mollet as they serve bans of their own, leaving Der Zakarian with little creative inspiration in the middle of the park.

First-choice goalkeeper Jonas Omlin has also emerged as a doubt after sustaining a thigh injury in training, but Der Zakarian is hopeful that Jordan Ferri and Arnaud Souquet will shake off injuries in time to feature.

Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Sels; Guilbert, Djiku, Kone, Mitrovic, Caci; Sissoko, Aholou; Thomasson; Ajorque, Diallo

Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Bertaud; Sambia, Congre, Hilton, Cozza; Ferri, Chotard, Le Tallec; Laborde, Delort, Mavididi

We say: Strasbourg 1-1 Montpellier HSC

The Montpellier faithful must be sick of the sight of draws if the past few weeks are anything to go by, but another stalemate could certainly be on the cards this weekend.

Two of Strasbourg's most important midfielders should make their returns to the starting lineup on Sunday, and their dire need for points should help Laurey's side claim a share of the spoils against a Paillade team struggling to perform on the road.

VOTE IN THE END-OF-SEASON SPORTS MOLE AWARDS!

Have your say in the annual end-of-season Sports Mole Reader Awards!

Click here to vote for your Premier League Player of the Season, Goal of the Season, Signing of the Season and much more!