The game against Lille will mark the end of Christian Gourcuff’s third spell at Le Moustoir and that should be enough incentive for the home players to try and win the final match of the season. Les Dogues, on the other hand, need all three points or else they could miss out on Champions League qualification.

25 years in the Le Moustoir dugout

Long-serving coach Christian Gourcuff has once again proved his worth in what could be his last ever season at Le Moustoir, guiding Lorient to second successive top table finish. Les Merlus have been especially impressive of late, having embarked on a seven-match unbeaten run that saw them defeat Nice and Lyon on the road among other results. In spite of some excellent results, the club chiefs have opted against extending Christian Gourcuff’s contract, leaving the club’s loyal servant extremely disappointed at the end of his third spell at the club. However, even if Lorient have little to play for at the moment, the hosts will be looking to put a dent into Lille’s Champions League hopes and ensure the boss gets the best possible sending off. While les Merlus have also taken part in some low-scoring games of late, they tend to play open, free-flowing football against attack-minded opponents, as witnessed by the 4-4 home draw against Montpellier. Seeing as how Lille will be desperate to record a victory at Le Moustoir, chances are we will see another great game in Brittany.

Kevin Monnet-Paquet starts his two-match ban, whereas Fabien Audard, Yann Jouffre, Maxime Baca, Gilles Sunu and Vincent Aboubakar miss out through injury. Bruno Ecuele Manga is back from suspension.

Only a win would do

From the very start to the season, Lille have climbed to Champions League places and they never did leave the top 3 positions. With the top two berths reserved for free-spending Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco, les Dogues have got to be congratulated for earning the title ‘the best of the rest’, although they have yet to secure the final Champions League berth. Having won just one of last four matches, Lille allowed Saint Etienne to close the gap behind them to mere two points and with les Verts boasting a superior goal difference, les Dogues need to win their final game against Lorient in order to secure Champions League qualification. That will be no easy task considering that les Merlus are on top of their game at the moment, but the visitors clearly have enough attacking quality to hurt their less illustrious opponents. With playmaker Marvin Martin suspended, Rene Girard looks set to revert to 4-3-3 formation, which should make Lille even more dangerous up front, especially since explosive forward Divock Origi should return to the starting line-up.

Marvin Martin misses out through suspension, but there are no other worries for boss Rene Girard ahead of the trip to Brittany.

Verdict

With Lorient in excellent form at the moment, Lille will have no easy task in an attempt to secure their Champions League qualification. And while the winner is difficult to predict, chances are that we will see a high-scoring game between two attack-minded sides.

Top pick: Both teams to score   2.10 (11/10) @ Coral

Alternative pick 1: Over 2.5 goals   2.10 (11/10) @ Betfred

Alternative pick 2: Away win   1.75 (3/4) @ William Hill