Preview: Nantes vs Le Havre - prediction, team news, lineups

FC Nantes will host Le Havre AC at the Stade de la Beaujoire-Louis Fonteneau on Sunday in Ligue 1, with the home side desperate to halt a worrying slump in form.

Although the visitors appear relatively comfortable in mid-table, Le Club Doyen will remain cautious of the chasing pack, as just nine points separate them from the bottom three.

Match preview

FC Nantes are in serious danger of dropping back to Ligue 2 for the first time since their 2012–13 promotion after failing to win any of their last five Ligue 1 matches, a run that has left them eight points adrift of safety and staring at relegation trouble.

Last weekend’s 3-1 defeat to 10-man AS Monaco marked their fifth consecutive top-flight loss, their worst streak of the decade, having already matched their longest losing run of the 2024–25 campaign with four straight defeats.

La Maison Jaune’s most recent league triumph came in early January, a 2-0 win over Olympique de Marseille, and that remains their only victory since October 29, across a dismal spell of 13 matches in which they have lost 10 and drawn twice.

Under Ahmed Kantari, Nantes have managed just three league wins all season, alongside five draws and 14 defeats, collecting a meagre 14 points, while their home form has been equally alarming with only one win and three draws and no victory at the Stade de la Beaujoire since a 1-0 success against AJ Auxerre at the end of August.

Defensively, Les Canaris have conceded 40 goals, the joint-second worst tally in the division alongside OGC Nice and better only than bottom club FC Metz, while their blunt attack has produced just 20 goals, the second-lowest return in the league behind 16th-placed Auxerre’s 17.

However, a meeting with Le Havre could offer a lifeline, as Nantes boast the historical edge in this fixture with 19 wins, 13 draws and 12 defeats from their 44 previous encounters.

Le Havre have enjoyed a far more encouraging campaign than their hosts and head into Sunday’s clash sitting 13th in the table, having distanced themselves from the relegation battle with a run of strong performances under Didier Digard.

Le Club Doyen secured back-to-back victories for the first time since October by defeating Toulouse FC 2-1 last weekend, despite being reduced to 10 men in the second minute after edging RC Strasbourg by the same scoreline a week earlier.

In the win over Toulouse, captain Arouna Sangante was sent off when his initial yellow card was upgraded to red following a challenge on Brazilian forward Emersonn, yet his side showed resilience to claim all three points.

Across their last six matches, Le Havre have recorded three wins, two draws and two defeats, and for the season overall they have posted six victories, eight draws and eight losses, although their away record remains concerning with just one win, a 1-0 triumph at Auxerre in October, alongside three draws and 10 defeats on the road.

Despite their struggles on the road this season, this is a fixture in which they have recently established dominance, remaining unbeaten in their last three meetings with victories secured both home and away in the previous campaign.

Nantes Ligue 1 form:

Nantes form (all competitions):

Le Havre Ligue 1 form:

Team News

© Imago / PsnewZ

Midfielder Mohamed Kaba was forced off against AS Monaco with a suspected injury and replaced by Johann Lepenant.

Mauritania international Bahmed Deuff remains sidelined with a knock and Deiver Machado continues his recovery from a hamstring problem.

Le Havre will be without Sangante, who was dismissed after his initial yellow card was upgraded to red for a challenge on Emersonn, with the defender set to begin a three-match suspension this weekend.

Defensive concerns persist after Stephan Zagadou was substituted in the 84th minute of the win over Toulouse through injury, while goalkeeper Mory Diaw was withdrawn at half time and replaced by Lionel M’Pasi for the remainder of the contest.

Ayumu Seko (rib), Abdoulaye Toure (knee) and Reda Khadra (shoulder) remain doubts ahead of Sunday’s clash, and Simon Ebong, Ally Samatta and Yanis Zouaoui are all one booking away from serving suspensions.

Nantes possible starting lineup:

Lopes; Sylla, Awaziem, Youssuf; Centonze, Coquelin, Lepenant, Machado; Tabibou, Cabella, Abline

Le Havre possible starting lineup:

M’Pasi; Nego, Pembele, Lloris, Koffi; Gourna-Douath, Ebong, Ndiaye; Zouaoui, Soumare, Boufal

We say: Nantes 1-0 Le Havre

This encounter is expected to be closely fought, with both sides likely to adopt a cautious approach to avoid conceding cheaply, although there may still be a decisive moment to separate them despite the stalemate in the reverse fixture.

With Kantari eager to halt a run of five consecutive defeats, Nantes could sense an opportunity to turn their fortunes around, and the hosts may just do enough to secure a rare victory on Sunday to strengthen their push toward the relegation playoff position.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.