Two teams battling relegation come together on Sunday afternoon when Le Havre host Metz at the Stade Oceane in Ligue 1.
The hosts are just two points better off than their opponents, who currently reside in 17th and in the relegation zone with five games left to play.
Match preview
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After being promoted as champions of Ligue 2 last year, Le Havre had been enjoying a positive first season back in the top flight since 2008-09, finding themselves competing in mid-table for the majority of the campaign.
That changed in mid-February when Luka Elsner's team went through a sudden dip in form, losing seven of the nine games they have played since February 11, when they began that poor run with a 1-0 loss to Stade Rennes.
That downturn in form has seen Le Havre slide down the table, now finding themselves just two points from an instant relegation back into Ligue 2 with only five matches left to secure safety.
Their final five fixtures pit Luka Elsner's men up against league leaders Paris Saint-Germain, fifth-placed Nice and French giants Marseille, leaving this upcoming game against relegation rivals Metz as a highly important match for Le Havre to pick up points and move away from the drop zone.
The hosts will take solace from the fact that they have been the dominant side in this matchup over recent years, unbeaten in their last seven meetings with the visitors since a 3-0 defeat against Metz in 2014.
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As for Laszlo Boloni's team, they have struggled to adapt to life back in Ligue 1 having been relegated in 2021-22 and bounced straight back last term, spending the majority of this season in and around the bottom three.
Recent results have seen Metz slowly claw their way towards safety, managing to win three of their last six, including crucial victories against fellow relegation candidates Nantes and Clermont, as well as a fantastic 2-1 win over sixth-placed Lens in their previous outing.
While they have struggled to pick up points against Le Havre in recent seasons, they have been stronger on the road than at home throughout this campaign which is something they will have to rely on once again in this one.
Metz's final five games see them face three of the top 10, leaving this matchup as one of their biggest opportunities to pick up crucial points, with a victory here seeing them leapfrog the hosts and potentially move out of the relegation zone altogether depending on Lorient's result against Nice.
Team News
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Both teams come into this one carrying multiple injuries and suspensions, leaving neither at full strength for this relegation six-pointer.
The hosts will be without up to six players for this one, including three usual starters in Gautier Lloris, Abdoulaye Toure and Christopher Operi.
Elsewhere, Andy Logbo, Andre Ayew and Oussama Targhalline will also be unavailable.
The visitors are without three of their own for this match with Benjamin Tetteh, Christophe Herelle and Joel Asoro all continuing their stay on the treatment table.
Metz will be hoping that star player Georges Mikautadze can continue his fantastic goalscoring form which has seen the Georgian score four times in the last two outings.
Le Havre possible starting lineup:
Desmas; Nego, Sangante, Salmier, Youte Kinkoue, El Hajjam; Kuzyaev, Ndiaye, Kechta; Bayo, Sabbi
Metz possible starting lineup:
Oukidja; Kouao, Traore, Cande, Udol; Camara, N'Doram, Atta; Van Den Kerkhof, Mikautadze, Sabaly
We say: Le Havre 1-2 Metz
Le Havre come into this game having won just one of their last 12 games across all competitions, and with Metz winning three of their last six, the visitors come into this one in much better form.
While the visitors have failed to beat the hosts since 2014, we believe that their recent performances and results leave them as the favourites to win this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
