Soccer France Ligue 1 Prediction

Nantes vs Angers - Match Preview

⚽ 3 June 2023 - 19:00 GMT +0

It all comes down to this for Nantes, who are at serious risk of seeing their ten-year stay in Ligue 1 come to an end. Currently 17th and two points adrift of Auxerre, just outside the relegation zone - albeit with a much better goal difference - they simply must win here while hoping their relegation rivals fail to beat high-flying Lens at home. The latter looks like a realistic possibility, however, there’s reasonable doubt as to whether Nantes can hold up their end of the bargain after a run of 14 matches without a win (D5, L9).

Only one other Ligue 1 side has failed to win in that time (Troyes), which is an alarming record, but yet astonishingly, manager Pierre Aristouy recently claimed some of his players were in “denial” about the severity of their situation. He’ll need to straighten that mentality out if they’re to avoid the dreaded drop, especially as Nantes already have a pretty rotten recent final record, with each of their last four final Ligue 1 games failing to produce a win, including the last match of the curtailed 2019/20 season (D1, L3).

While there’ll be nerves aplenty in the home dressing room, it’s a different story for the visitors. Basement boys Angers have already succumbed to relegation, but that confirmation looks to have lifted a weight off of their shoulders. They’ve picked up four points from their last two matches and could finish the campaign by going a third straight Ligue 1 game undefeated for the first time this season.

This uptick in form has persuaded Angers bosses that manager Alexandre Dujeux, who only arrived in March, is the right man to bring the club straight back to France’s top tier and this week handed him a two-year contract. Finishing the season with just a fifth league win, and first against Nantes in seven attempts (D3, L3) would surely be the perfect way for the club to toast that new deal.

📋 Key battle: Nantes will be hoping for another steely display from defender Andrei Girotto to help set them on their way and he’s won more tackles than any other Ligue 1 player this season (73). He’ll be trying to keep Himad Abdelli quiet, with all four of his seasonal goal contributions coming in Angers’ last four matches (G2, A2).

⚡ Hot stat: Only Ajaccio have scored fewer first-half goals than both Nantes (12) and Angers (9) this season.