Clermont will be seeking to avoid a fourth successive Ligue 1 defeat when they welcome Nantes to the Stade Gabriel Montpied on Sunday afternoon.

The visitors, meanwhile, have also suffered a slight dip in form after losing their last two league fixtures without scoring.

Match preview

Clermont will be keen to put aside their miserable month of March, after losing three successive games and conceding nine goals in the process.

A 3-1 defeat away at Lens last time out has seen them slip down to 17th in the table, just one point above Saint-Etienne in 18th who occupy the relegation playoff position, and five points above the bottom two.

While many teams will enjoy playing on home soil, Pascal Gastien's side have struggled in front of their home fans in recent weeks, as they have only won one of their last nine home league games, winning 2-1 against Rennes in January.

Clermont have also won only one of their last five meetings against Nantes, with that solitary victory dating back to May 2013 when they won 1-0 on the road in the second tier.

Success for the Lancers on Sunday would provide them with a much-needed boost as they head into their remaining eight league fixtures, which will see them face five teams who are currently positioned in the bottom half of the table.

Nantes, meanwhile, ended March with back-to-back 1-0 defeats against Troyes and Lille, the latter of whom saw out the final half an hour with 10 men.

Nevertheless, the Canaries remain in the mix to qualify for Europe next season as they are sitting ninth in the Ligue 1 table, six points behind fifth-placed Strasbourg with nine games remaining.

Antoine Kombouare will be keen to see his side rectify their recent away form as they have failed to win any of their last four games on the road, a run which includes three defeats and only one goal scored.

Hopes of success on Sunday could prove challenging, as Nantes have won only one of their last seven away games against newly-promoted teams in Ligue 1. However, they did beat Clermont 2-1 on home soil in October's reverse fixture.

Team News

Clermont trio Cedric Hountondji (broken arm), Vital N'Simba (broken hand) and Jim Allevinah (COVID-19) are all unavailable for selection.

Salis Abdul Samed has served a one-match suspension and is available to start in centre-midfield alongside Johan Gastien and Jason Berthomier.

Winger Jodel Dossou will be hoping to force his way back into the first XI ahead of Lucas Da Cunha, while top scorer Mohamed Bayo – who has 10 league goals to his name this term – is set to start as the central striker.

As for Nantes, Marcus Coco and Sebastien Corchia are both ruled out with ankle injuries, while Nicolas Pallois and Charles Traore are sidelined with knee problems.

The absence of Corchia and Pallois will likely see Kombouare continue with a 3-5-2 formation, with Osman Bukari and Quentin Merlin operating as wing-backs either side of centre-back trio Dennis Appiah, Jean-Charles Castelletto and Andrei Girotto.

Centre-midfielders Ludovic Blas, Samuel Moutoussamy and Pedro Chirivella are all set to remain in the first XI, behind attacking duo Moses Simon and Randal Kolo Muani.

Clermont possible starting lineup:
Djoco; Zedadka, Seidu, Hountondji, Seidu; Berthomier, Gastien, Abdul Samed; Dossou, Bayo, Rashani

Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Appiah, Girotto, Castelletto; Bukari, Chirivella, Blas, Moutoussamy, Merlin; Simon, Kolo Muani

We say: Clermont 1-2 Nantes

With both sides lacking fully-fit squads and struggling for form, an open contest could be on the cards this weekend.

Nantes will be the favourites heading into this fixture, considering that they are eight places and 14 points clear of Clermont at present, and the visitors should have enough quality in their side to edge past the hosts.

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