Preview: Nantes vs Strasbourg – prediction, team news
Sports Mole provides an overview of Sunday’s Ligue 1 clash between Nantes and Strasbourg, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Nantes and Strasbourg will each look to maintain their strong start to the Ligue 1 campaign when they meet at the Beaujoire stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The teams enter this level of competition with 17 points after the first 12 rounds of the French elite, just two points from a European place.
Match preview
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Nantes suffered a first defeat in four matches in their last 2-0 loss to Montpellier thanks to goals from Florent Mollet and Elye Wahi.
Despite this defeat, which follows a return of seven out of nine points in matches with Troyes, Bordeaux and Clermont, Nantes remains ninth with nearly a third of the campaign contested.
The Yellow House have been superb at home lately, winning each of their last three games – their best such race since between August and October 2019, winning four on the spin.
More worrying for Antoine Kombouare will be his team’s defensive record, having kept only one clean sheet in their last 10 Ligue 1 games, conceding 13 goals in that span.
Ultimately, however, being seated in the first half at this point after narrowly avoiding relegation last season marks an impressive turnaround for Nantes.
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Strasbourg are also enjoying a much more positive 2021-22 campaign than last season and will see this as a realistic chance to add three more points to the table.
The Racers lost 1-0 to Rennes on their last trip, although that loss was sandwiched by 5-1 and 4-0 home wins against Saint-Etienne and Lorient respectively.
Indeed, Strasbourg’s return of five wins in their last nine Ligue 1 matches is as much as they have managed in their previous 22 meetings in the competition.
Julien StephanMeanwhile, the men have found the net in eight of their last nine away Ligue 1 games, although this lone white was last out on their trip against Rennes.
However, it is not since the start of 2018-19 that they have played successive high-level matches without a net, when only two teams in the division have scored more times this season.
Nantes Ligue 1 form:
Strasbourg Ligue 1 form:
Team news
Nantes has Sebastien Corchia back from a one-game suspension for that game and the right-back will likely come straight to the side instead of Dennis appiah.
Ludovic Blas, Osman Bukari and Quentin Merlin are all breastfeeding injuries and are unlikely to appear this weekend.
Randal Kolo Muani got the green light to lead the line against Montpellier, but Kalifa Coulibaly is pushing for inclusion here.
As for Strasbourg, Maxime Le Marchand returns from suspension for this trip to Nantes, but Kevin Gameiro, Karol Fila and Lebo Mothiba are all doubts about physical condition.
Habib Diallo has scored twice in the 4-0 win over Lorient and now has six goals this season.
Ludovic Ajorque He also has five to his name, making Strasbourg one of only six teams in Europe’s top five leagues with two players on at least five goals.
Both players seem certain to start at the Stade de la Beaujoire, with minimal – if any – changes likely following the landslide victory last time around.
Possible starting eleven in Nantes:
Lafont; Corchia, Castelletto, Pallois, Traoré; Girotto, Chirivella; Coco, Sa, Simon; Muani
Starting eleven possible in Strasbourg:
Sales; Guilbert, Perrin, Nyamsi, Dijku, Caci; Sissoko, Prcic, Thomasson; Diallo, Ajorque
We say: Nantes 1-1 Strasbourg
Both teams can be more than happy with their debuts for the 2021-22 campaign and will each see it as a good opportunity to climb higher in the division.
Strasbourg have had big wins in two of their last three games, while Nantes have won three in a row at home, so we expect the teams to cancel each other out here.
Superior council
Our expert forecasting partners at Sporita.com predict less than 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their proven football tips.Less than 2.5: data