Strasbourg take on Nimes in Ligue 1 on Wednesday with both sides fighting tooth and nail to avoid relegation this season.
The visitors can overtake their opponents in the table and potentially move out of the relegation zone with a victory.
Match preview
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After being 10th at the time all French football was curtailed due to COVID-19 last season, Thierry Laurey will be disappointed that his side have been dragged into a relegation battle this season.
After showing signs of life with eight points from four matches, Strasbourg subsequently ended 2020 on a sour note with consecutive defeats to Bordeaux and Paris Saint-Germain.
Scoring goals has not been a problem for Laurey's side this season, but only Nimes have conceded more, so both goalkeepers could be set for a busy evening at Meinau Stadium.
Should Ludovic Ajorque and Habib Diallo catch fire, though, there is every chance Strasbourg can put further distance between themselves and the relegation zone by the end of the match.
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Nimes were fortunate to avoid relegation last season having been 18th at the time of curtailment, with their three-point gap to Saint-Etienne in 17th considered too small to demote them without completing the season.
As such, it is little surprise to see Jerome Arpinon's side embroiled in another relegation battle this campaign, with a winless run of six matches prior to the winter break seeing Nimes drop to the bottom of the table.
It would be difficult to argue that they are not the worst side in the league given they have scored the fewest and conceded the most goals in the league so far this season, but it is points on the board which ultimately matter, and a win against Strasbourg on Wednesday could see them move out of the relegation zone depending on results elsewhere.
Arpinon will be hoping the winter break has revitalised Zinedine Ferhat, with the winger failing to score or assist in any of Nimes' last seven games, which represents a considerable drop-off considering that he had scored three and assisted three in the previous seven.
Strasbourg Ligue 1 form: DWDWLL
Nimes Ligue 1 form: LLLLDL
Team News
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Strasbourg have several injury doubts, with Abdul Majeed Waris, Bingourou Kamara, Lamine Kone, Idriss Saadi, Lebo Mothiba and Matz Sels all unlikely to feature against Nimes.
Ajorque and Jean-Eudes Aholou are both one yellow card away from a one-match suspension.
Florian Miguel is suspended for Nimes, meanwhile, after his dismissal in the defeat to Dijon, with young defensive midfielder Adilson Malanda potentially having to deputise in defence.
Arpinon is also likely to be without Loick Landre, Yassine Benrahou, Andres Cubas, Lucas Deaux, Pablo Martinez, Birger Meling, Clement Depres and Antoine Valerio for the trip to Strasbourg.
Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Kawashima; Simakan, Mitrovic, Djiku; Lala, Sissoko, Aholou, Lienard, Carole; Bellegarde; Ajorque
Nimes possible starting lineup:
Reynet; Alakouch, Guessoum, Malanda, Paquiez; Sarr, Ahlinvi; Ferhat, Duljevic, Ripart; Aribi
We say: Strasbourg 2-1 Nimes
With Nimes in desperate form and Strasbourg showing some signs of improvement prior to the break, we can envisage a crucial win for Laurey's side.
There is little doubt that they have the higher ceiling of the two sides, with Ajorque possessing the ability to earn his side the three points.
Top betting tip
Brett Curtis
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Strasbourg win with a probability of 49.5%. A draw had a probability of 26.5% and a win for Nimes had a probability of 24%.
The most likely scoreline for a Strasbourg win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.36%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.77%) and 2-1 (9.09%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.43%), while for a Nimes win it was 0-1 (8.51%). The actual scoreline of 5-0 was predicted with a 0.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Strasbourg would win this match.
