Monaco v Lorient: top-half reset meets away-day test | OneFootball

Monaco host Lorient in Ligue 1 on Friday, 16 January at Stade Louis-II, with the top-half side looking to halt a slide while the visitors arrive unbeaten in five but with one of the division's leanest away returns.

Lorient won the reverse fixture 3-1 in September and sit 12th on 19 points. Monaco are ninth with 23 points and were beaten 3-1 by Lyon last time out.

Les Rouge et Blanc have lost four of their past five league games, but their home haul stands at 16 points from nine matches. Lorient's recent momentum is strong—two wins and three draws in their last five in the league—yet they have collected just three points on the road.

Team news shapes selection on both sides. For Les Rouge et Blanc, Thilo Kehrer is suspended, with Takumi Minamino and Mohammed Salisu among those listed as injured. For Lorient, Oluwatosin Aiyegun, Isaak Touré and Panos Katseris are out injured.

Routes to goal could hinge on supply and finishing. Les Rouge et Blanc average 53% possession and have delivered 207 open-play crosses at 21.26% accuracy, contributing to five headed league goals. Folarin Balogun has four Ligue 1 strikes. Lorient have scored 20 and conceded 29 this season, with Pablo Pagis on five league goals and Sambou Soumano on four, and may look to counter when the hosts push on.

A win would lift Les Rouge et Blanc to 26 points and could move them closer to the European picture. Three points for Lorient would take them to 22 and increase daylight to the relegation places.