Lorient vs AS Monaco Prediction 27.09.2025 | Ligue 1

Although they successfully earned promotion back to the top tier after just 12 months, Lorient’s return to Ligue 1 has been marked by doubt and uncertainty, and if they fail to find a formula for stability, they could easily get tangled in problems that might threaten their survival.

Maintaining top-flight status is a must for every newly promoted team, and Les Merlus are no exception, but their current form shows they will need to offer much more to justify their place at this level, as a meager four points so far have left them in the bottom three.

Their only glimmer of light came in matchday two, when they blew away Rennes 4-0, but instead of that win giving them a boost, the Orange-Blacks sank even deeper into crisis, suffering successive abuses to Lille 7-1 and Marseille 4-0, before playing out a dull 1-1 draw at Le Havre last time out.

Conceding an eye-catching 13 goals in just five top-flight appearances, Olivier Pantaloni’s side currently has the poorest defense in the league, mostly due to the calamity they suffered at the hands of LOSC Lille.

On the injury and suspension list for Saturday’s clash is Darlene Yongwa, serving the second of a two-game ban following his straight red card against Marseille, while key centre-back Isaak Toure is definitely out after ligament surgery.

Last season’s third-place finish in Ligue 1 earned them a spot in the UEFA Champions League, but Monaco’s start in Europe’s premier club competition was one to forget, as they suffered a surprising 4-1 hammering at the hands of Club Brugge on matchday one.

Thankfully, the debacle in Bruges did not stay with Adi Hutter’s team for long, as they responded with a brilliant performance, tearing Metz apart 5-2 and capitalizing on PSG’s shock one-goal defeat to Marseille to move to the top of Ligue 1, albeit on goal difference.

The Monegasques are riding a wave of three consecutive wins, but to stay firmly in the title race, they will need to tighten things up at the back, as they are still yet to keep a clean sheet this season and have already conceded a worrying 11 goals from their first six league matches.

After being sidelined for two years due to a ban, Paul Pogba is gradually regaining his fitness and should be ready to participate soon, while captain Denis Zakaria remains out with an adductor issue until mid-November.