Lorient - Nice: Match Preview and Prediction

November 30, 2025. 18:15. Lorient. Stade du Mustoire

French Ligue 1. 14th round.

Where to watch: MEGOGO

Injured: Abergel, Fadiga, Caceres, Fay, Silva, Sanoussi - Ndayishimiye, Abdelmonem, Bombito, Dante (?), Budaoui

On Sunday, the Stade du Mustoire will host the 14th round of Ligue 1, where Lorient will host Nice. For the hosts, this game offers a vital opportunity to get out of the relegation zone, where they currently find themselves. The visitors are also in desperate need of a win, having slipped to mid-table after a run of three consecutive defeats.

Lorient

Victory has come hard for Lorient since their confident return to Ligue 1 as champions. Both of their victories came at home against Rennes and Monaco, in games where the opposition were quickly reduced to ten men. In even-numbered matches, Regi Le Brie's side have yet to taste success and have sometimes lacked the stamina to hold on to the lead. Lorient have dropped six points in the league this season after scoring first. If they had secured those, the Merlieu would not be fighting for survival, but would be comfortably placed alongside Nice in mid-table. The most recent example was last week's away trip to Nantes, where they were unable to hold on to a narrow lead.

Before this match, Lorient were on a seven-match unbeaten run - their longest since May 2024, when they reached nine matches. However, their only two Ligue 1 wins this season have come at the Stade du Mustoire, where they are unbeaten in their last four games overall. That includes a 1-1 draw against reigning champions PSG.

Lorient have also scored in nine consecutive Ligue 1 home matches, with 13 of their 15 goals this season coming in front of their own fans. Despite having one of the league's worst defensive records at home, they have generally been solid defensively, with the exception of a crushing 1-7 defeat to Lille. A continuation of their strong domestic form looks possible, as Le Brie's men have picked up points in three of their last four home meetings with Nice, although they have not beaten the opposition in the league since September 2021. Nice continued their dismal European campaign on Thursday. It all started with Champions League qualification after finishing fourth last season. However, two defeats to Benfica in the summer saw them relegated to the familiar Europa League and things have not improved under Franck Eze. After picking up just three points in their previous European campaign and finishing penultimate in the league stage, it seemed as if things could only get worse, but the Eagles are struggling. They have failed to pick up a single point in five matches. Thursday's 3-0 defeat at Porto added to defeats against Roma, Fenerbahce, Freiburg and Celta Vigo.

In the league, after a brief upturn in October, Nice have been struggling week after week, a team expected to be in contention for a place in Europe at the start of the season. Although they are just four points off the Conference League place, their form in recent weeks has been anything but encouraging. The southern French club are on a five-game losing streak in all competitions, conceding 14 goals and scoring just three.

Aise's men have lost their last two away league games by a single goal and this weekend could see them lose three in a row away from home in the top flight for the first time since the 2023/24 season. Nice have scored one goal or less in four of their six away matches in Ligue 1, with 13 of the 23 goals conceded coming away from home. However, the prospects for a breakthrough look good as the Eagles are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Lorient, including a 1-1 draw in their last trip to Moustoir in August 2023.

Lorient vs Nice: Expected Line-ups

Lorient are heavily injured, with Abergel, Fadiga and Katseris out, while Faye, Silva and Sanoussi are questionable. Nice continue to struggle with absences, particularly in defence, with Ndayishimiye, Abdelmonem, Bombito and possibly Dante all missing. Budaui is also among the injured guests.

Lorient - Nice: author's prediction

Despite being an underdog, Lorient is hard to beat at home, and Nice - in their current slump and coming off another poor away match in the European championships on Thursday - could well drop points in Mustoir.