Two teams with something substantial to fight for heading into the final matchday of the 2024-25 Ligue 1 campaign will lock horns on Saturday night, as Strasbourg welcome Le Havre.
Strasbourg are sixth in the Ligue 1 table, level on points with fourth-placed Nice, while Le Havre are 16th, with the team currently facing a relegation playoff to determine their division for the 2025-26 season.
Match preview
Strasbourg have enjoyed an impressive season, boasting a record of 16 wins, nine draws and eight defeats from their 33 Ligue 1 matches, which has left them in sixth spot in the table, three points ahead of seventh-placed Lyon.
As it stands, the Blue and Whites are qualifying for the 2025-26 Conference League playoff round, but they are level on points with both fifth-placed Lille and fourth-placed Nice, with Europa League and Champions League qualification still on offer.
Strasbourg need to win on Saturday and then see where it leaves them, and they will be bidding to bounce back from a disappointing result last time out, having suffered a 2-1 defeat to Angers on their last outing.
Liam Rosenior‘s side have been excellent on home soil this season, picking up 35 points from 16 matches, which is the third-best record in front of their own fans behind Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco.
Strasbourg are bidding to do the double over Le Havre this season, meanwhile, having recorded a 3-0 victory in the reverse game back in December 2024.
Le Havre have struggled this season, only picking up 31 points from their 33 matches courtesy of a record of nine wins, four draws and 20 defeats, which has left them in 16th spot in the table.
Didier Digard‘s side can still be automatically relegated this season, sitting just one point ahead of 17th-placed Saint-Etienne, while they are two points behind 15th-placed Nantes when it comes to the relegation playoffs.
Le Havre need to win on Saturday to stand any chance of finishing 15th or above, and they have actually managed to post six victories on their travels in the league this season, which is three more than in front of their own supporters.
Les Ciel et Marine will enter this match off the back of a 3-1 home defeat to Marseille, but they did record a 2-1 victory over Auxerre in their last match on their travels at the start of the month.
Le Havre also have a recent Ligue 1 success over Strasbourg to their name, running out 3-1 winners in December 2023.
Team News
Strasbourg will again be without the services of Thomas Delaine and Moise Sahi through injury, but Andrew Omobamidele will be back in the squad after serving a suspension.
Andrey Santos has had an outstanding season for the club on loan from Chelsea, scoring 10 times and registering five assists in 33 appearances in all competitions, and he will again be in the home side’s XI.
There should also be spots in the final third of the field for both Felix Lemarechal and Sam Amo-Ameyaw.
As for Le Havre, Alois Confais and Koka are on the sidelines through injury, but the visitors have not reported any fresh concerns from their clash against Marseille last time out.
Head coach Digard is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack, as there were positives to take from the match, with Marseille scoring twice in the latter stages to secure a 3-1 win.
Issa Soumare has scored five Ligue 1 goals for Le Havre this term, and he will again feature in the final third.
Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Petrovic; Doue, Sarr, Doukoure; Bakwa, Santos, Barco, Moreira; Diarra, Lemarechal, Amo-Ameyaw
Le Havre possible starting lineup:
Gorgelin; Nego, Youte, Sangante, Ballo-Toure; Kechta, Mwanga, Toure; Casimir, Ayew, Soumare
We say: Strasbourg 2-0 Le Havre
Strasbourg have been excellent at home this season, posting 10 wins from their 16 matches, and we are expecting them to be in contention for a Champions League finish on the final matchday, while Le Havre may be relegated to Ligue 2.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
