Nantes welcome relegation-threatened Troyes to the Stade de la Beaujoire on Sunday in their final league fixture before the Coupe de France final.
The hosts are still embroiled in a relegation fight of their own and cannot afford to let next week's occasion become a distraction.
Match preview
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After questioning the mentality of his squad following defeat to Auxerre last week, Nantes boss Antoine Kombouare will be looking for an immediate response against another side struggling near the bottom.
Despite facing Toulouse in the domestic cup final next weekend, Nantes are just two points from safety, having picked up only three points from their previous eight Ligue 1 matches.
The side's only wins in their last 12 outings came in their quarter-final and semi-final successes in the Coupe de France.
The cup run has been a nice distraction from their league woes, but dropping into Ligue 2 looks a very real possibility considering that their close rivals have been picking points up of late.
One good omen ahead of this clash is that they are unbeaten in nine top-flight home games against Troyes though, winning seven.
Troyes come into the fixture in even worse form than their hosts, having now gone 14 games without a win.
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Patrick Kisnorbo picked up more points in his first two games - four - than he has done in those subsequent 14 games.
Three draws and 11 defeats have left Troyes on the brink of relegation to Ligue 2, as they sit 10 points adrift of safety.
Before last week's defeat against Marseille, captain Adil Rami came out to portray his disinterest in the rest of the season, as the veteran defender closes in on his retirement from football.
His performances, along with the rest of the backline, have left a lot to be desired this season, as Troyes have kept a league-low one clean sheet all campaign.
Team News
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Nantes central defender Andrei Girotto will be suspended for this clash due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Pedro Chirivella will miss the rest of the season with a groin injury, while Evann Guessand is doubtful after missing the defeat to Auxerre.
Cup goalkeeper Remy Descamps remains out with a muscle injury that could scupper his dreams of playing in next week's Coupe de France final.
Achilles injuries will keep Troyes duo Renaud Ripart and Florian Tardieu out for an extended period.
Defender Abdu Conte remains out with a minor knock, while Karim Azamoum will not feature for the rest of the season due to an ACL tear.
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Centonze, Castelletto, Pallois, Corchia; Blas, Sissoko, Mollet, Moutoussamy, Simon; Mostafa Mohamed
Troyes possible starting lineup:
Gallon; Palmer-Brown, Rami, Salmier; T Balde, Kouame, Agoume, Larouci; Rony Lopes, Odobert, Mama Balde
We say: Nantes 1-0 Troyes
Nantes are in awful league form and have a huge distraction on their minds with the cup final to come, but are arguably facing the perfect opponents right now.
Troyes have drawn a blank in six of their last seven Ligue 1 fixtures against Nantes, and with senior players seemingly giving up the ghost, ESTAC's fate seems settled.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Andrew Delaney
