Le Mans vs Toulouse Prediction & H2H Stats 16 October 2026
🔊 Sixteen years after their last Ligue 1 meeting, Le Mans and Toulouse come together as near mirror images of each other. After six rounds, both sides have six points and a goal difference of minus two. Neither team has kept a clean sheet. Even their top scorers are level, with four goals each - Louis Mafuta for Le Mans and Kasper Tengstedt for Toulouse. Who will break the deadlock on Friday?
Head-to-Head
📊 In Ligue 1, Le Mans and Toulouse have met 12 times: each side has won four, with the remaining matches ending in draws. However, since the 2008/09 season Le Mans have not taken a single point off their opponents. In the most recent meeting, on 30 January 2010, Toulouse won 3-1 at Le Mans. Le Mans were relegated that season and have only now returned to the top flight.
Le Mans: unbeaten at home, but yet to keep a clean sheet
Five of the newcomers' six points have come at home, where Patrick Vieira's side are yet to lose: they beat Lorient (2:1), while Brest and Lens each took a point (2:2). But Le Mans' weak spot is their defence - 12 goals conceded in six rounds. In Paris, Le Mans lost to PSG 1:3, and the scoreline could have been heavier: in added time, goalkeeper Nicolas Cotsic saved a penalty from Désiré Doué.
Le Mans' attack rests on two players, and one of them is injured. Forward Louis Mafuta scored in Paris for the fourth time, with an incorrect offside call overturned only after a VAR review. Another three goals belong to 21-year-old midfielder Adil Bourabaâ. He returned from the Algeria squad with an ankle injury, and according to the French press, his recovery is expected to take several weeks.
Match Results: Le Mans
Toulouse: Everything Gets Decided After the Break
Toulouse began the season with one point from three matches: they lost at home to Lyon (0-2) and Lille (0-1), and came away from Brest with a draw (2-2). But manager Jens Berthel Askou was not panicking. After the Lille match he said his side had dominated "until the 94th minute" and described himself as "an even bigger optimist". Askou was proved right: Toulouse picked up five points from their next three Ligue 1 matches and drew level with Le Mans.
The main weapon in Askou's side is the second half. Away at Lorient and Monaco, Toulouse went in at half-time trailing 0-2 and came back to earn a point on both occasions. In the most recent round, Danish forward Kasper Tengstedt pulled one back from the penalty spot on 48 minutes. On 59 minutes, 19-year-old Swede Sion Opponng, who had come on at half-time, made it 2-2 - his first goal for Toulouse. Tengstedt himself took time to find his form: all four of the Dane's goals have come in the last three matches.
Match Results: Toulouse
Latest news
Le Mans
❓ Alongside Bourabaa, Paris Le Mans were also without Martens Rossignol and Erwan Colas through injury. Defender Djibril Sidibé, however, served his suspension in the PSG match and is available to face his former club
Toulouse
❓ The key question for the visitors concerns captain Rasmus Nicolaisen. The defender returned to the squad in Monaco after a calf muscle injury but did not take to the pitch. According to the local press, he is currently training individually, and the captain's availability is in doubt.
Predicted Lineups
📋 Predicted starting XI for Le Mans: Kotsik - Sidibé, Yow, Vouaye - Lauré, Bamba, Bretel, Verkruisse, Kaloda - Diallo, Mafuta.
📋 Predicted starting XI for Toulouse: Restes - Messali, McKenzie, Tapé, Koumbassa - Cáceres, Vossa - Jørgensen, Azizi, Russell-Rowe - Tengstedt.
⚽️ Goals Prediction
Le Mans have scored and conceded in all six of their Ligue 1 matches. Toulouse's defence has also failed to keep a clean sheet, and Ascou's side have scored seven goals in their last three league rounds. We expect both teams to find the net. The bet is Both Teams to Score - Yes.
🚩 Corners Prediction
Fewer than 11 corners were taken in seven of Le Mans's last 10 official matches. Across that run, the total was 85, with Videira's side contributing 37 of them. Toulouse's last 10 matches produced a combined 94 corners, while their three away Ligue 1 fixtures brought just nine, seven and eight. We're not expecting more than ten corners here. The bet is Total Corners - Under 10.5.
🟨 Yellow Cards Prediction
Le Mans received more than two yellow cards in only two of their last 10 official matches, and five of their 17 bookings came in the Paris fixture. Toulouse's opponents over the same period collected just 13. The referee will be Aurélien Petit, who showed Le Mans one card in their first-round match against Brest. We expect the hosts to stay within two bookings. The bet is Le Mans Team Total Yellow Cards - Under 2.5.
📌 Editorial Prediction
Le Mans rarely produce dull matches: across six Ligue 1 rounds, their games have featured 22 goals, and fewer than three in only one of them - the 1-1 draw against Nice. Toulouse's away record is even more consistent: three away matches, three times ending 2-2. We wouldn't rule out a repeat of that scoreline, but three goals between the two sides is enough for the bet. The selection is Total Goals - Over 2.5. Predicted score: 2-2.
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