Sports Mole previews Saturday's Ligue 1 clash between Monaco and Clermont, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Monaco will attempt to tighten their grip on second spot when they face basement side Clermont in Saturday's Ligue 1 fixture at Stade Louis-II.

Meanwhile, the visitors will travel to the Principality knowing that there is a possibility they could be relegated to the second tier.

Match preview Reuters

Monaco's bid to secure second place received a setback in last Sunday's 3-2 away defeat against Lyon, which also resulted in Paris Saint-Germain being crowned champions for a third consecutive season.

A Wissam Ben Yedder brace ensured that Monaco went into the final half hour on level terms with Lyon, but the Moroccan's efforts ultimately counted for very little as Malick Fofana netted an 84th-minute winner to end Monaco's eight-game unbeaten run.

Adi Hutter's side remain in second position in the Ligue 1 table, but they are now just two points clear of Brest and three points in front of fourth-placed Lille ahead of the final three rounds of matches.

After experiencing a disappointing away trip last weekend, Monaco will be looking forward to returning to Stade Louis-II, where they have recorded 1-0 victories in both of their previous two home games against Rennes and Lille.

The Monegasques boast an encouraging record against Clermont, having won four of their five top-flight meetings, including a 4-2 victory in August's away fixture.

Clermont boosted their survival hopes with a comprehensive 4-1 victory in their recent home meeting with Reims thanks to braces from Muhammed Cham and Elbasan Rashani.

While that result may have given Clermont a renewed sense of belief, they still have considerable work to do to extend their three-year stay in the top flight, with four points separating them Metz and Le Havre, who occupy 16th and 15th place respectively.

As a result of their precarious position, Les Lanciers know that they will be relegated this weekend if they lose to Monaco and both Metz and Le Havre claim three points in their respective fixtures.

Unfortunately for the visitors, their away record offers little inspiration, with their last nine league road trips producing one win, two draws and six defeats.

Pascal Gastien's troops were at least able to avoid defeat on their most recent trip to the Principality in October 2022 when Komnen Andric cancelled out Breel Embolo's opener to hold Monaco to a 1-1 draw.

Monaco Ligue 1 form:

Clermont Ligue 1 form:

Team News Reuters

Monaco remain without Aleksandr Golovin and Ismail Jakobs due to ankle and knee issues, while Eliesse Ben Seghir is set to serve the final game of a three-match suspension.

Ivory Coast international Wilfried Singo is expected to return to the backline after completing a two-match ban following his red card against Brest earlier this month.

Singo is set to partner Thilo Kehrer in central defence, while Kassoum Ouattara and Vanderson could operate as the two full-backs.

At the opposite end of the pitch, Ben Yedder will be hungry for more goals after he netted a brace against Lyon to end a run of nine appearances without a goal.

As for the visitors, they may be unable to call upon Jim Allevinah, Maxime Gonalons, Cheick Oumar Konate, Adam Mabrouk and Stan Berkani.

Rashani will be forced to drop out of the squad to serve a one-match suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards.

Gastien could be tempted to switch to a back three to combat Monaco's attacking threat, which could see Chrislain Matsima, Andy Pelmard and Maximiliano Caufriez operate as the three central defenders.

Monaco possible starting lineup:Majecki; Vanderson, Singo, Kehrer, Ouattara; Fofana, Zakaria; Akliouche, Minamino, Diatta; Ben Yedder

Clermont possible starting lineup:Diaw; Matsima, Pelmard, Caufriez; Zeffane, Magnin, Gastien, Borges; Cham, Virginius, Kyei

We say: Monaco 2-0 Clermont Clermont will be desperate to claim a positive result to aid in their survival fight, but after losing four of their last five top-flight matches against Monaco, we think that the visitors could fall to another defeat in Saturday's encounter.

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