The top two teams in the French second tier last season will meet in Ligue 1 action Saturday, with Troyes welcoming Le Mans to Stade de l’Aube.

ESTAC sit 17th after a 0-0 draw at Toulouse, two places below Le Mans, who drew Auxerre 1-1 on matchday eight.

Match preview

It was not a win, but given their form leading up to last weekend, it was a positive result for Troyes to earn a point against Toulouse.

That was their second clean sheet in the league this season after allowing multiple goals in their last five top flight affairs before that.

A lack of production has hampered them all season, with Troyes netting a league-low five goals thus far, three of which were on home soil.

Alongside Lorient, Stephane Dumont’s men have created the joint-fewest big chances in Ligue 1 so far (13), which is part of the reason they are currently in a relegation position.

Troyes have a 100% record domestically when netting first this season, doing so only once at Lorient on matchday two (2-1).

They have won two of their last three competitive home games versus Le Mans, with those last two triumphs occurring in Ligue 2 and they hope to claim their first at home this season on Saturday.

As entertaining as Le Mans have looked throughout the 2026-27 campaign, it has rarely translated into maximum points, as they have dropped six points this season when netting first.

Patrick Videira’s team will try to end a three-match winless run in this competition on Saturday and win their first Ligue 1 away game of the season.

To break out of their slump, they must tighten up defensively, having conceded seven goals in their last three league matches.

In 2026-27, Le Mans have given up the third-most goals per match domestically (2.0) while failing to keep a single clean sheet in the competition this season.

After eight matchdays, they sit above the relegation playoff line on goal difference, though only three points currently separate them from 11th-place Toulouse.

Les Mucistes went unbeaten against Troyes in Ligue 2 last season, and on Saturday could claim consecutive victories at ESTAC for just the second time this century.

Troyes Ligue 1 form:

Le Mans Ligue 1 form:

Team News

An ankle issue will likely keep Anis Ouzenadji on the sidelines for Troyes this weekend, Yacouba Kone is questionable due to a sore knee, Yvann Titi is dealing with a leg problem, while Ismael Boura has a hip injury.

Yored Hillel Konate replaced Patrick Beach between the sticks on matchday eight, making four stops for his first clean sheet of the campaign.

At Le Mans, Djibril Sidibe may be forced out with a sore foot, Harold Voyer has a thigh strain, Erwan Colas has a knock, Yasser Larouci is dealing with a sore groin, while Adil Bourabaa is recovering from ankle surgery and Martin Rossignol has a knee issue.

Lucas Buades netted the opening goal for them on matchday eight, but AJA equalised less than 10 minutes later, and both sides shared a point.

Troyes possible starting lineup:

Konate; Maronnier, Monfray, Diaz, Gozzi; Mille, Karim, Diop; Le Douaron, Ripart, Ifnaoui

Le Mans possible starting lineup:

Kocik; Boisse, Yohou, Torrente; Bretelle, Lauray; Vercruysse, Calodat; Gueye, Mafouta, Diallo

We say: Troyes 2-1 Le Mans

Both sides look vulnerable defensively, but we believe home field and Troyes’ strong defensive performance last week will help them settle into this match more quickly and earn them a narrow victory.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.