Ajaccio are back at Stade Francois Coty this weekend in search of their first domestic victory at home this year when they battle Nantes on Sunday.
Earlier this week, the Corsicans defeated Angers 2-1 but are still in the relegation zone, one point below that line, while La Maison Jaune dropped a 2-0 decision at home to Marseille, falling to 13th in the Ligue 1 table.
Match preview
© Reuters
It was another slow start for Ajaccio on Wednesday, going behind after 13 minutes, but they reacted well in the second half, coming back to win on the road for the third time this season.
Three of their five domestic victories in 2022-23 have come when conceding the opening goal, while they have gone behind within the opening 20 minutes in each of their previous four domestic affairs.
Last season in Ligue 2, they were one of the most successful clubs domestically on home soil, winning 13 times at Stade Francois Coty and claiming points in 16 of their 19 fixtures.
So far this season, however, their fans have not had as much to cheer about, with Olivier Pantaloni's men winning just two home games in Ligue 1.
Winning for them this season has been rare, but sustaining that momentum after a victory has been even more challenging, as l'Ours have not won consecutive matches in this competition since February 9, 2013.
They come into this encounter winless in four consecutive outings versus Nantes in the top flight, failing to score in their previous two matches against them.
© Reuters
If there is one issue which has consistently plagued Les Canaris this season, it would be a lack of quality in the final third, failing to score in nine domestic encounters.
While they have not found the back of the net in three consecutive matches in all competitions, Antoine Kombouare still has his team set up pretty well defensively, collecting seven clean sheets so far in this domestic campaign, four of which came away from home.
Currently, on 22 points after 21 Ligue 1 encounters, Nantes find themselves near the middle of the pack, though historically that is not a good sign as they have finished in a bottom four position the last three times they accumulated that total or fewer, and this season the final four teams will be relegated into Ligue 2.
Discipline and structure has been their identity under Kombouare, and for better or worse, Nantes have stuck to that motto, allowing a mere two goals since this competition restarted in December while only finding the back of the net themselves on four occasions.
Nantes are unbeaten in their previous three away fixtures in this competition, losing just once in their last four road matches in Ligue 1.
La Maison Jaune have had their way with newly-promoted sides in this competition, losing just one of the previous 13 encounters against them in the top flight.
Team News
© Reuters
On Wednesday, goals from Moussa Soumano and Mounaim El Idrissy helped them come back to beat Angers, while goalkeeper Francois-Joseph Sollacaro only faced two shots, making his third appearance of the campaign in place of Benjamin Leroy.
In their previous game against Nantes, Ajaccio got goals from Youcef Belaili and Romain Hamouma to take a 2-0 lead before giving up two in the final 20 minutes and playing to a 2-2 draw.
Moussa Djitte joined them on loan from Austin FC in Major League Soccer last week, Mathieu Coutadeur has a calf strain, Youssouf Kone is dealing with a sore ankle, Hamouma remains out with an unknown problem, Yoann Touzghar continues to recover from a strain injury and Thomas Mangani could be out due to an issue with his ribs.
Nantes goalkeeper Alban Lafont had not conceded in over five consecutive domestic encounters before being beaten by an own goal from defender Joao Victor on Wednesday.
Ludovic Blas and Moses Simon brought Nantes back into their previous encounter at home to Ajaccio, each scoring once, while Mostafa Mohamed is without a goal in his last two domestic affairs.
Andy Delort will be with Nantes for the remainder of the season, joining them on loan from Nice, Nicolas Pallois remains on the sidelines because of a knee problem and Quentin Merlin is not expected to return until March from his groin injury.
Ajaccio possible starting lineup:
Sollacaro; Diallo, Avinel, Gonzalez, Youssouf; Barreto, Mangani, Marchetti, Spadanuda; Djitte, El Idrissy
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Centonze, Girotto, Victor, Hadjam; Sissoko, Chirivella; Blas, Moutoussamy, Simon; Delort
We say: Ajaccio 0-0 Nantes
Neither side have shown much poise in the attacking third throughout the campaign, often employing defensive tactics, so we expect scoring chances to be at a premium in this encounter.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
