Le Mans FC face Toulouse FC on Friday 16 October (20:45) at the Stade Marie-Marvingt, a match where three players could come up against their past. Former Toulouse defender Djibril Sidibé and midfielder Alexandre Lauray, a product of Toulouse's academy, are expected to start for the Sarthe side, while former Le Mans prospect Alexis Blin now plays in Switzerland.

Patrick Videira, the Le Mans manager, highlighted the challenge. "Their opponent tonight is still unbeaten away from home," he said in a press conference. The Occitan club, level on points with Le Mans in the table, indeed has a perfect away record this season. For Videira's men, who sit 15th in Ligue 1 with six points, the stakes are high after a run of three consecutive defeats, including a 3-0 loss to these same Toulouse side last week. This poor run has seen the team concede 8 goals in 270 minutes of play, an average of more than one goal every 34 minutes. To climb the table, the Sarthe side must urgently improve this recent form, especially as Toulouse, also on 6 points, is a direct rival in the fight to avoid relegation.

Crossed paths

Djibril Sidibé, a 2018 World Cup winner, joined Le Mans in the summer of 2025 after two convincing seasons at Toulouse, where he was repositioned as a centre-back. The 34-year-old defender was not retained. Alexandre Lauray is a pure product of the Toulouse academy. The Sarthois midfielder, who left for Bordeaux in 2018 before loan spells in the third tier, signed for Le Mans in 2021. Finally, Alexis Blin, developed at Le Mans, left the club at 17 for Toulouse, where he made his Ligue 1 debut under Pascal Dupraz. After spells at Amiens, Lecce and Palermo, he signed for Lausanne-Sport in early October.

A depleted squad

For this match, Patrick Videira must deal without several key players. Midfielder Adil Bourabaa, injured on international duty with Algeria, could be out until January. Martin Rossignol and Erwan Colas are also unavailable. In attack, Habib Diallo is expected to remain on the bench, with the pair Dame Gueye and Louis Mafouta leading the line. The latter is the club's top scorer this season with four goals. The defence will rely on the experience of Sidibé alongside Samuel Yohou and Harold Voyer.

Le Mans's next away trip is scheduled for 25 October at Auxerre, a direct duel against the 16th-placed side. The team will need to quickly rediscover the winning formula to move away from the relegation zone.

Read the full report at actu.fr