Guingamp vs Lorient preview - Bellugou wary of former club

Lorient defender Francois Bellugou has warned his team-mates they will be in for a fight when they come up against his former club Guingamp.

Bellugou spent five years at the Stade du Roudourou and knows exactly what to expect on Saturday.

He told the club's official website, www.fclweb.fr: "This is a team and a club in general who does not give anything up without a fight. We have to bear in mind that it will not be easy. We will have to match their level of intensity and aggression to get the chance to develop our game.

"Personally, I am not surprised that this team manages to keep in Ligue 1. Things were made for them to get there. The coach (Jocelyn Gourvennec) has been in place for several years - this is a quality coach. Things are well anchored."

The game represents a clash between the clubs currently sitting in 13th and 14th places respectively in Ligue 1, with hosts Guingamp two points better off than visitors Lorient, who find themselves just three points clear of the drop zone.

Guingamp head into the weekend on the better run of form despite tasting defeat for the first time in six league games at Marseille last time out, although they bounced back in midweek when they defeated Chateauroux 2-0 in the Coupe de France.

Lorient were victorious too in their last fixture, a 1-0 league win over Lille, but that ended a run of four successive defeats in all competitions.

It was they who held sway when the sides met at the Stade du Moustoir on August 30 last year when they struck three times inside the final 10 minutes to secure a 4-0 win.

Manager Sylvain Ripoll will welcome back Valentin Lavigne and Maxime Barthelme, but will be without Mathieu Coutadeur, Fabien Robert and Fabien Audard through injury.