Angers welcome Lorient to the Stade Raymond-Kopa on Sunday afternoon for round eight of the 2026-27 Ligue 1 campaign.

In their previous league outing, Les Scoistes suffered a damning 5-2 home defeat to a resurgent Marseille side, while Les Merlus posted a 1-0 win over AS Monaco at the Stade du Moustoir.

Match preview

Having narrowly avoided the drop in each of the previous two years, finishing four points above the relegation playoff position in the 2025-26 campaign, Angers look as though they could be fighting towards the foot of the Ligue 1 table again this season after a mixed start.

Despite taking a respectable seven points from their first five fixtures, including wins against fellow strugglers Auxerre and Troyes, Stephane Gilli’s men have suffered a dip in form in recent weeks and as a result are just one point above the relegation zone.

Over that stretch, Lea Scoistes’ biggest weakness has undoubtedly been their defensive solidity, with Sunday’s visitors surrendering a worrying 10 goals in the last fortnight, double what they conceded in the previous five matches.

Claiming victory in three of their previous four meetings over Lorient, including a 2-0 triumph at the Stade Raymond-Kopa in last season’s corresponding fixture, Angers will be hoping they can get one over Les Merlus once again on Sunday and climb away from the Ligue 1 relegation zone.

Following a promising return to the French top flight last season, finishing 10th and an impressive 21 points clear of the automatic relegation places, Lorient will be delighted having made a great start to the 2026-27 Ligue 1 campaign.

Although they won just one of their opening five fixtures, picking up just a singular point over that span, Alexandre Dujeux’s side have hugely impressed since the return from the international break, posting a 1-0 victory over Paris FC at the Stade du Moustoir a fortnight ago before beating then tabletoppers AS Monaco by the same scoreline a week later.

Much to the contrast of this weekend’s opposition, Lorient’s biggest strength over this period has undoubtedly been their strength at the back, with Les Merlus keeping a clean sheet in each of their previous two games and only Lyon and Lille conceding fewer than their five league goals after seven matches.

Travelling to face Angers at the Stade Raymond-Kopa, a venue that they have triumphed at in just one of their latest six visits, Lorient will be confident of making it three wins on the spin this weekend and edging into the division’s European qualification places.

Angers Ligue 1 form:

Lorient Ligue 1 form:

Team News

After missing last Sunday’s clash against Marseille with a thigh problem, Malian defender Ousmane Camara has returned to training and is available to be selected for the visit of Lorient.

Having both been absent from Wednesday’s training session, Emmanuel Biumla and Haris Belkebla are both doubts to feature this weekend, though Angers will be happy to welcome Jordan Lefort back to the matchday squad after the 33-year-old served a suspension last weekend.

Moroccan forward Amine El Ouazzani was preferred to lead the line ahead of Prosper Peter against L’OM and will likely keep his spot in the side after netting Les Scoistes’ second goal of the match and doubling his tally for the season.

Although he has returned to first team training, 25-year-old midfielder Bandiougou Fadiga is unlikely to make an appearance for Lorient this weekend as he continues his rehabilitation from a severe hamstring injury.

The visitors are also missing Noah Mbamba as the Belgian forward remains sidelined with a muscle issue sustained prior to the international break, while Mohamed Bamba is listed as a doubt having experienced some physical discomfort.

However, after being vacant for the visit of Paris FC, Greek defender Panos Katseris was able to make the bench for last weekend’s match against Monaco and will be hoping to get some minutes on Sunday.

Angers possible starting lineup:

Lopes; Arcus, Camara, Lefort, Kalulu; Belkhdim, van den Boomen; Allevinah, Mouton, Sbai; El Ouazzani

Lorient possible starting lineup:

Mvogo; Toure, Talbi, Adjei; Sylla, Cadiou, Avom, Kouassi; Bernardeau, Makengo; Balde

We say: Angers 0-1 Lorient

Having endured a difficult blip following the international break, Angers will be hoping to use the Stade Raymond-Kopa to their advantage and return to form against a stubborn Lorient side this weekend.

However, with Les Merlus looking as though they are only going to continue to improve on their slow start, we think Les Scoistes will have to wait at least another week to add to their seven point Ligue 1 tally.

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