Nantes will be looking to continue their fine recent form when they travel to face Metz in their Ligue 1 clash on Sunday.
The visitors picked up a remarkable win over Paris Saint-Germain last weekend, whilst the hosts continued their fight for survival by picking up an impressive point at Lille.
Match preview
© Reuters
Although Ligue 1 champions Lille have been a much different package for the majority of the current campaign, a goalless draw by Metz at the Stade Pierre Mauroy was still regarded as an excellent result for the visitors.
Frederic Antonetti's side were perhaps fortunate that Lille missed a number of glorious opportunities on the day, but a solid defensive showing was a certain positive note regardless.
However, the point was not enough to lift Les Grenats out of the bottom two, although defeats for both Lorient and Troyes meant it was enough to pull them level with the duo directly above them in the table as we head into matchday 26.
A return home to the Stade Saint Symphorien should usually raise hopes of picking up a positive result for a side fighting for survival at the wrong end of the table, but with Metz having picked up only seven of their 21 points this season in front of their own supporters, they must find a solution if they are to retain hopes of getting out of trouble between now and May.
With just one win in their last eight games across all competitions either side of the New Year as well, Antonetti and his side must also put together an all-round strong run of form soon if they are to avoid the drop to Ligue 2.
© Reuters
Meanwhile, Nantes head into their trip to Metz on the back of three consecutive victories, and five wins from six across all competitions.
The most impressive of those triumphs was certainly the success over league leaders PSG last week, in what turned out to be a thrilling encounter that contained endless amounts of drama and goalmouth action at either end.
Randal Kolo Muani and Quentin Merlin provided Antoine Kombouare's side with a shock 2-0 lead inside the opening 16 minutes to stun their opponents, before Ludovic Blas netted from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time to leave the hosts heading into half time in dreamland.
Neymar's goal shortly after the break looked to spark hopes of a comeback from their star-studded opponents, but after the Brazilian missed a penalty shortly before the hour mark, Nantes hung on to seal a memorable victory thanks to Alban Lafont's heroics in goal during some late pressure.
The strong recent form has lifted La Maison Jaune into seventh spot ahead of Sunday's trip to Metz, and to within just two points of the European places.
A trip to a relegation-threatened side will provide the visitors with plenty of hope in their quest for a shock continental qualification come May, with victory potentially lifting Kombouare's men as high as fifth place, although defeat could also see Nantes fall as low as 10th, in what has turned out to be a hugely tight top half of the table in Ligue 1 this season.
- L
- W
- L
- D
- L
- D
- D
- L
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Metz will check on the fitness of a quartet of players that could potentially return on Sunday, with Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik, Sofiane Alakouch, Nicolas de Preville and Fabien Centonze all nearing returns from injury.
Kevin N'Doram and Matthieu Udol are definitely ruled out for the hosts though, with a broken foot and a serious knee injury keeping them on the sidelines respectively.
Antonetti could well name an unchanged lineup for the visit of Nantes, with no fresh injury concerns to contend with, and last week's positive performance providing a platform to build upon.
As for the visitors, they too have no fresh injury concerns as they prepare for the trip to Metz, so Kombouare is also likely to see no need in changing a successful starting 11 from the one that provided the heroics against PSG.
Former Manchester United defender Fabio Da Silva is the only confirmed absentee, with the Brazilian sidelined for around one more week due to a sprained ankle.
Samuel Moutoussamy is the only other concern, but the midfielder could make a return to the bench after missing the last three fixtures due to a hamstring problem.
Metz possible starting lineup:
Caillard; Delaine, Bronn, Kouyate, Amadou, Cande; Maiga, Traore, Pajot, Boulaya; Mafouta
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Bukari, Castelletto, Appiah, Pallois, Merlin; Blas, Girotto, Chirivella; Muani, Simon
We say: Metz 0-1 Nantes
With these sides heading into their meeting on very different runs of form, we are predicting Nantes to come out on top here thanks to their high spirits following their successes in recent weeks.
The hosts struggle to find the back of the net on so many occasions, and with Nantes boasting one of the meanest defences in Ligue 1, we are predicting a low-scoring encounter on Sunday.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Nantes win with a probability of 45.66%. A win for Metz had a probability of 27.92% and a draw had a probability of 26.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Nantes win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.78%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.01%) and 0-2 (8.47%). The likeliest Metz win was 1-0 (8.72%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.53%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with an 8.2% likelihood.
