Few teams in Ligue 1 this season have been more exciting to watch for the neutral than Lorient and Montpellier. Lorient’s 15 matches have yielded a total of 47 goals, while Montpellier’s have wrought 53. Thursday’s fixture between the two clubs, then, should be an entertaining one.

Lorient have punched well above their weight this season and were in the Champions League spots before running out of steam a little prior to the World Cup break, with a five-match winless sequence dragging them down the table. At home, they had been reliable before losing successive matches to Nice and PSG 2-1, although they pushed the Parc des Princes side, in particular, close.

Similarly, Montpellier’s away matches have typically been a feast of goals, although it should be noted that the rate has dropped since Romain Pitau took charge. The mid-season friendlies they have played, though, suggest that that could change again, with a 2-1 loss against Lens followed by a polished 5-0 win over Ligue 2 side Rodez.

Montpellier are stronger going forward than they are defensively, and that means that their matches are always liable to be entertaining affairs. A more conservative approach from Pitau has not brought his first win yet, and a more forward-thinking approach appears to be likely.

Crucially, six of Lorient’s seven home matches have seen over 2.5 goals. With goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo out, they have a big problem to solve in this area, with no good short-team solution. Equally, though, they are strong in attack, with Dango Ouattara and Terem Moffi enjoying spectacular seasons. Should both teams hit their straps, goals are inevitable.

The fixture between Nice and Lens pits one of Ligue 1’s most underperforming clubs against one that has punched above its weight impressively since the start of the season. Indeed, it is telling how impressive that Lens have been this season that they actually start this match as favourites to get the win.

Nice have only picked up two home victories this season in the league, and in part that has been because they have been chronically ineffective in front of goal. They have scored only six times in seven home matches, with these games producing a total of just 15 strikes. Five of these fixtures have ended with two goals or fewer.

By contrast, Lens have been incredibly efficient, chalking up a succession of narrow victories. Indeed, they have suffered only one defeat on their travels this season – a 1-0 loss at Lille. Prior to the international break, they had been involved in three successive games with three goals, but this was out of the ordinary. Indeed, their previous six games have produced just five goals in total.

Meanwhile, there are a couple of interesting sub-plots prior to this game. Firstly, Nice have recently pinched Lens’ outstanding transfer mastermind Florent Ghisolfi while home striker Andy Delort has reportedly been offered to the visitors in January – it seems unlikely he will play as a consequence.

Although the trend has been for goals in this fixture in previous seasons – the last three between these clubs in Nice have finished 2-1 to the home side – the first half of 2022/23 points to a tighter match this time around.

All eyes will be on referee Jeremie Pignard as Marseille tackle Toulouse at Stade Velodrome on Thursday. The match official has a quite incredible record of being the centre of attention in league games this season, with cards flying and penalties handed out like confetti.

In Ligue 1 this season, Pignard has handed out over 4.5 cards in six of his eight matches, including six in his only previous game overseeing Marseille and eight in his previous Toulouse fixture. Both matches involved a red card, suggesting that there could be value in this market. Indeed, he has shown four red cards in eight fixtures.

Where Pignard has really excelled this season, though, has been in the penalty stakes. He has overseen nine matches across Ligues 1 and 2 this term and has awarded 10 spot kicks. Indeed, there has only been one previous game this season in which he has not awarded at least one penalty. This makes the odds of 2.4 in another occurring in this game look very attractive, particularly since both teams likely to play in an open style.

Meanwhile, Marseille are naturally favourites for this match, having won their last six against Toulouse, but just how they might cope with the resumption of play following a lengthy break for the World Cup means that odds of 1.53 on a home victory do not quite equate to value in this encounter.

Toulouse’s away record of five defeats in seven, though, ensures that it is certainly tempting.