Lorient v Metz: mid-table push meets survival fight | OneFootball

Lorient host Metz in Ligue 1 on Sunday, 4 January 2026 at Stade du Moustoir, with the 12th-placed hosts on 18 points seeking to stretch their upturn and the bottom side on 11 aiming to spark a survival bid.

Recent meetings have been tight: the clubs drew 0-0 in January 2025 and 1-1 in September 2024. That balance frames a match where fine margins could decide the points.

Form points to momentum with the hosts. Lorient beat Nice and Lyon before a draw at Strasbourg, and also won heavily in the cup. Metz lost four straight league games to Brest, Rennes, Auxerre and Paris Saint-Germain, though they did win in the cup last time out.

Lorient list defenders Isaak Touré, Panos Katseris and Abdoulaye Faye as injured, while Metz have goalkeeper Pape Sy and forward Joseph Mangondo sidelined.

Routes to goal may hinge on efficiency. Lorient have scored 19 and conceded 28 league goals, with 43% possession and 84.31% passing accuracy this season, and no goals from set pieces so far. Metz have 17 for and 37 against with 49% possession and open play cross accuracy of 20.42%. Pablo Pagis leads the hosts with five league goals, while Gauthier Hein has five goals and three assists for the visitors.

A home win would lift Lorient to 21 points and consolidate mid table ground. Victory for Metz would take them to 14 points and could cut the gap to those above, an important step in a relegation fight that still has plenty of time to run.