Two sides battling against relegation from Ligue 1 are set to come together on Sunday afternoon when Nantes host Le Havre at Stade de la Beaujoire.
The hosts are 14th in the standings with 10 points from their 11 matches, while the visitors are in 17th with nine points from their opening 11 games.
Match preview
Other than an anomalous ninth-placed finish in 2021-22, when they also secured European football by winning the Coupe de France, Nantes have been consistently embroiled in relegation battles over the past four seasons.
The Canaries once again look set to be involved with the fight for survival this campaign, as they sit 14th in the table after 11 matches with 10 points, just one above the drop zone.
Antoine Kombouare's side initially had a strong start to the term with a draw and two wins in their first three games but have since struggled, managing only three draws and suffering five defeats in their next eight matches.
They come into this one having lost each of their last three, 3-1 to Strasbourg, 2-1 to Marseille and 3-2 to Lens, and Kombouare will be hoping to end that streak in this one.
As for the visitors, they booked their long-awaited return to the top flight for the first time since 2008-09 in 2022-23 when they won the Ligue 2 title, amassing 75 points from 38 outings.
The Dean Club were expectedly involved in the battle against relegation last term, narrowly extending their stay in Ligue 1 as they finished 15th in the table with 32 points from 34 outings, three points above FC Metz in the relegation-playoff spot.
Le Havre, determined to secure their Ligue 1 survival again this season, made an impressive start to the 2024-25 campaign with two wins in their first three matches, defeating Saint-Etienne (2-0) and Auxerre (3-1) after initially falling to Paris Saint-Germain (4-1) on the opening day.
However, Didier Digard's men have struggled in their subsequent eight fixtures, suffering seven defeats in that time, winning the remaining match 1-0 against Montpellier.
Those results have left them 17th in the table with just nine points from 11 matches, but a victory in this one could see them climb as high as 13th depending on results elsewhere.
Team News
Nantes are expected to be without both Johann Lepenant and Tino Kadewere for this match as both continue their recovery from injury issues, while Nicolas Pallois is also out due to suspension.
The hosts will also remain without the services of Fabien Centonze, with the defender not expected to return until April 2025 due to a cruciate ligament injury he sustained in August.
Moses Simon has undoubtedly been Nantes' star player so far this season, scoring three goals and assisting four in 10 Ligue 1 appearances, and they will be looking to the forward once again here.
Le Havre are unable to call upon the services of duo Yoann Salmier and Abdoulaye Toure for this match due to suspension, while they are also dealing with a number of injuries.
Andy Logbo, Arouna Sangante, Oualid El Hajjam and Yann Kitala are all currently sidelined with injury concerns, with all four expected to return in December.
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Castelletto, Zeze, Duverne; Amian, Chirivella, Augusto, Cozza; Abline, Mohamed, Simon
Le Havre possible starting lineup:
Desmas; Zouaoui, Kinkoue, Lloris; Pembele, Kuzyayev, Targhalline, Operi; Sabbi, Kechta; Ayew
We say: Nantes 1-0 Le Havre
The hosts may lack confidence after an eight-match winless run, but with home advantage and facing a Le Havre side that has scored just eight goals while conceding 23, we back the hosts to secure a victory here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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