The match of the 18th round of the Ligue 1 between Monaco and Lorient will take place on 16 January at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille. Monaco vs Lorient: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Monaco
Monaco, led by Sébastien Pocognoli, in the last round also played at home but lost to Lyon 1:3. This was already the sixth defeat in seven recent league matches, although the home side managed to beat Paris Saint-Germain 1:0 during that run. Those results have caused a drop to a low ninth place in the table. The gap to the top four now stands at nine points. Note that the club last had a worse position after 17 rounds in the Ligue 1 in the 2018/19 season, when it finished only 17th.
- Monaco conceded first in 6 of their last 7 Ligue 1 meetings.
- Monaco have avoided defeat in 14 of their last 17 home league matches (12 wins and 2 draws).
- The club conceded in 7 of their last 9 home Ligue 1 games.
Potential Monaco Lineup (4-3-1-2)*
Lukasz Gradecki – Caio Henrique, Tilo Kehrer, Christian Mavissa, Mohammed Salisu – Jordan Tese, Mamadou Koulibaly, Aleksandr Golovin – Magn Akliush – Mika Biret, Folarin Balogun.
The goalkeeper Lukasz Gradecki, midfielder Takumi Minamino, defenders Christian Mavissa and Wanderson, and forward Ansu Fati are out with injuries. Note that defender Mohammed Salisu will not play this season (anterior cruciate ligament rupture). There is no certainty yet about the return date for midfielder Paul Pogba. Due to suspension the midfielder Mamadou Koulibaly and defenders Stanis Muzambo and Tilo Kehrer will miss the match. Defender Wout Faes is currently on loan from Leicester.
Lorient
Lorient began the new year with a home meeting against Metz that ended 1:1. That was the second consecutive draw for the visitors in the league. Lorient are now unbeaten in six Ligue 1 matches (2 wins and 4 draws). At the same time, the away side have conceded in 13 of their last 15 league games. Currently the club sits in 12th place and has a comfortable five-point cushion above the bottom three.
- In their last 11 Ligue 1 meetings the club recorded only 2 wins (6 draws and 3 defeats).
- Lorient failed to score in 9 of their last 12 league matches.
- The club's winless away run in Ligue 1 stands at 13 matches – 4 draws and 9 defeats.
Potential Lorient Lineup (4-4-2)*
Yvon Mvogo – Igor Silva, Jordi Makengo, Nathaniel Adjei, Bamo Meite – Yoel Mugisha, Theo Le Bris, Noa Cadiou, Laurent Abergel – Pablo Pagis, Samba Soumano.
Midfielder Panos Kanteris is out with injury.
Referee
Willy Delajod (France)
Matches – 8 (the Ligue 1, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (counting second yellows) – 20;
Average yellow cards per match – 2.5;
Red cards shown – 3;
Fouls average per match – 24;
Penalties – 63%.
Monaco Vs Lorient: Match Prediction
Monaco are clearly in very poor form. Six defeats in seven league matches say a lot. A short break between rounds should help the home side calm down and regain strength to return to the fight for at least a European spot. Securing a win in this meeting is quite realistic, given that Lorient have collected only 3 points in 8 away matches in the current championship. Only Auxerre have worse away results (2 points).
In addition, the visitors have scored only two goals away in this season's Ligue 1. With such an attack it will be difficult to count on points against a crisis-hit Monaco. Meanwhile the home side are not that bad on their pitch, having won 12 of their last 17 home league matches. Therefore we propose a home victory in this matchup.
Prediction: Monaco To Win
We predict Monaco to win.
* The starting lineup shown for each team is from its previous match in this competition.
