- Troyes form: Troyes have won none of their last 5 league games (D1, L4).
- Le Mans form: Le Mans have won 1, tied 1 and lost 3 of their last 5.
Two teams, no joy
Match context
Both ES Troyes AC (ESTAC) and Le Mans FC (Les Manceaux) enter Saturday's Ligue 1 2026-2027 match at Stade de l'Aube in poor form and will be desperate for a boost in what is likely to be a tight mid-table relegation battle.
Troyes profile
17th-placed Troyes have taken 4 points from their opening 7 games, a relegation-zone start that offers little room for error this season. Stéphane Dumont has been in charge of the club since 12 August 2024 and has molded a side that is structured in its build-up but can also be dynamic in transition. They're an interesting side to watch and have had some good results in between a poor run of two straight defeats, both of which were at home (0-2 to Marseille, 1-3 to Lens).
Mans can be a counter threat
16th-placed Le Mans have had a slightly better return of 6 points from 7 games, but they are just 1 place and 2 points ahead of Troyes in the league standings. Patrick Videira has led the Manceaux since 1 July 2024, employing a compact setup that is organised at the back and counters very quickly.
The visitors have won just 1 of their 7 league games in total but have fared slightly better away from home, taking 1 draw and 2 defeats from 3 trips. A 3-1 defeat at PSG was followed by a 0-3 loss at home to Toulouse and Le Mans come into this game on the back of a 3-match losing streak.
Le Mans are not a scoring team, but they have found the net 5 times in their last 5 games, giving them at least a live counterpunch in this game.
- Antoine Mille, who tops their Ligue 1 2026/2027 scoring charts with 1 goal in 5 games, is their main outlet in attack.
- Adil Bourabaa leads the way for them with 3 Ligue 1 2026/2027 goals from 5 games and he has scored twice in Le Mans' last 5 games.
A close contest is likely
This is a tough match to call as the odds make the hosts the slight favourites at 2.12, while the visitors are 3.2 and the tie 3.5. It's the home advantage that probably edges the scales in favour of Troyes, but that's more than offset by the fact that they've failed to beat Le Mans and that they haven't won their last home game against Le Mans 8 months ago when Le Mans were flying high in Ligue 2 2025/2026.
Le Mans ran out 2-0 winners that day and this fixture between possession and counter is a good one on paper, as the space behind the wing-backs of Les Manceaux could be where this one is won.
We think this is a game that Le Mans can definitely pull an upset in and make it live, so we're taking the Under 2.5 goals option at 2.0 in a pressure game between two teams that have much to prove in the survival battle.
