Bitesize Prediction: Lorient vs Strasbourg – 17/12/23

Competition: Ligue 1

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 10/11 @ BetUS

In what could prove to be an enjoyable Ligue 1 showdown from the Stade du Moustoir on Sunday afternoon, Lorient will welcome Strasbourg to town.

Starting with the hosts, although Lorient might have shocked many across Ligue 1 last season as they punched a top-half finish, Les Merlus have come crashing back down to earth this time around. Last seen putting in another worrying performance as they slumped to an action-packed 4-2 loss at home against Marseille, Regis Le Bris finds his squad at the heart of a relegation scrap. Marking their return from November’s international break with a woeful 3-2 loss at the hands of Metz, the Brittany-based outfit have secured just a single victory from any of their previous 12 straight Ligue 1 showdowns – a run that stems all the way back to August 27th. Opening this weekend’s fixtures sat in the relegation play-off spot, Lorient have continued to show some rather glaring defensive issues. Including a 5-3 loss against Nantes on September 23rd, Le Bris’ downbeat squad have already shipped 29 top-flight strikes since opening up the 2023/24 campaign.

As for the visitors, managing to make what was a welcomed return to winning ways last weekend, Strasbourg will now be hoping to find some crucial Ligue 1 stability. Eventually claiming a 2-1 victory against Le Havre, Patrick Vieira’s side have their sights set on clinching a top-half finish this season. Drawing a line under their nightmare eight-match winless rut at the Stade de la Meinau last time out, the former Crystal Palace boss will now be calling on his side to find some much-needed defensive resolve. Opening December with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Reims, Strasbourg have recorded just a single Ligue 1 clean sheet since the start of September. However, hit with a 2-1 loss when they last travelled to Lorient back on June 3rd, the Alsace-based outfit should also be concerned by a downbeat record against Sunday’s opponents. In fact, Vieira’s side have remarkably won just one of their previous eight showdowns.

Bet: Both teams to score at Lorient vs Strasbourg 10/11 for Sunday’s Ligue 1 matchup @ BetUS