Tied on nine points each, Nantes are set to host Nice at Stade de la Beaujoire on Sunday afternoon for matchday eight of the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season.
The hosts are without a win in their last four matches heading into this encounter, while the visitors are unbeaten in their last three Ligue 1 fixtures.
Match preview
Other than an anomalous ninth-placed finish in 2021-22, when they also qualified for the Europa League after winning the Coupe de France, Nantes have found themselves competing against relegation in recent years.
They narrowly kept their place in the top flight in 2020-21, beating Toulouse on away goals after a 2-2 draw in the relegation-promotion playoff final, followed by finishing just above the drop zone in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Antoine Kombouare, who lifted the Coupe de France in 2022, returned for his second spell in charge in March 2024, but the manager has had a difficult run of results since returning.
He won just two of their final eight league games last season, but their form seemed to be on the rise at the beginning of the new campaign as they won two and drew one of their first three outings.
However, a 2-1 defeat to Reims marked the beginning of their downturn, with Nantes failing to win any of the following three matches, leaving them without a win in four games, two draws and two losses, heading into this one.
Their opponents, Nice, have had an inconsistent start to the 2024-25 campaign, winning two, losing two, and drawing three of their first seven Ligue 1 matches, a significantly worse start compared to last season, when they remained unbeaten in their first 13 games.
A staggering 8-0 victory against Saint-Etienne on matchday five in Ligue 1 appeared to be a turning point for Nice, offering them a foundation to build on in the following matches.
However, they have failed to capitalise on that momentum, going winless in their next four matches across all competitions, with three draws and one loss.
Franck Haise's side did record a promising 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain in their last outing, and they will be looking to build upon that result with a first win in four outings here.
Team News
The hosts will be without both Douglas Augusto due to suspension after an accumulation of yellow cards, while Marcus Coco is still suspended for a straight red card he received against Saint-Etienne.
Bahereba Guirassy, Fabien Centonze, Jean-Kevin Duverne and Tino Kadewere are all also unlikely to feature due to injury concerns.
The visitors will be without their captain, Dante, due to an accumulation of yellow cards throughout the Ligue 1 season.
Melvin Bard, Gaetan Laborde, Morgan Sanson, Tanguy Ndombele and Terem Moffi are all also unavailable for selection due to a variety of injury issues.
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Amian, Pallois, Zeze, Cozza; Chirivella, Gbamin; Thomas, Lepenant, Simon; Abline
Nice possible starting lineup:
Bulka; Mendy, Bombito, Abdelmonem; Clauss, Boudaoui, Rosario, Abdi; Guessand, Boga; Cho
We say: Nantes 1-2 Nice
While both are enduring periods of difficulty heading into this match, Nice boast more quality across their squad, leading us to believe they will win this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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