- OGC Nice are on a run of two consecutive draws in the league (0-0 away to Cagliari and Hull City). Nice have scored five goals in three home games in all competitions but Lorient have scored 12 away goals in six away games in all competitions. Nice have won two of the last five meetings between the clubs with Lorient also winning one and two ending in a draw.
Lorient are on a roll
Lorient will travel to the Cote D'Azur to face a Nice side that will be frustrated by Les Merlus' patient, possession-based football on Saturday.
Sitting in the Ligue 1 2026-2027 table, Lorient have won five and lost four of their last ten in all competitions, a boom-or-bust run of results that have seen plenty of goals scored and conceded.
Manager Alexandre Dujeux likes to overload the midfield with possession players that can create chances with their movement.
Les Merlus press selectively, waiting for the ball into the opposition's midfield third before closing in on the ball carrier, so the game should not be too open.
Nice are a more direct side
Olivier Pantaloni prefers a 3-4-3 system with his players, deploying wing-backs and looking to hit the opposition quickly in the transition phase, but Lorient's playing style will make that a challenge for Le Gym.
The home team are the narrow favourites at 28/25, although that's perhaps surprising given Lorient are available at 9/4 and the draw is 49/20. Pantaloni's team are unbeaten in three at home, while Lorient have three wins, a draw and two defeats in their six road games.
Opposing goals seems a safer play
Nice are on a two-game draw streak after back-to-back 0-0s away to Cagliari and Hull City. That's a solid, if frustrating, sequence of results and it's hard to see them getting more than the win from this fixture against an opponent.
There was no lack of goals when these two met in the Coupe de France in the 2025/2026 season, however, when Le Gym won 6-5 away. The head-to-head between these two clubs has a tendency to be end-to-end and opposing goals might be the safer play.
Over 2.5 goals is at 4/5 and Both Teams to Score - Yes is at 31/50 and that looks the way to go. A 1-0 or 2-1 Nice win looks the most likely outcome, but BTTS - Yes also fits the fixture, so I'm taking a small stakes bet on that. Sofiane Diop looks the danger man for Pantaloni's men as he has two of Nice's six goals in their last five games.
