Preview: Nantes vs Nice - prediction, team news, lineups

Nantes welcome Nice to the Stade de la Beaujoire on Sunday afternoon for round 19 of the 2025-26 Ligue 1 campaign.

Les Canaris fell to a 2-1 defeat at home to Paris FC in their previous league fixture, while Les Aiglons were thumped 5-1 away to Toulouse.

Match preview

After narrowly avoiding relegation to Ligue 2 last season, finishing three points above the drop zone, it looks as though Nantes are going to have a similar challenge on their hands this campaign.

Ahmed Kantari's side have earned 14 points from their 18 matches so far and currently sit 16th in the Ligue 1 table, which would put them into a relegation playoff at the end of the season.

Les Canaris have struggled especially at the Stade de la Beaujoire, having picked up the fewest points at home of any side in the division and without a win there since beating Auxerre 1-0 in August.

Nantes have won only one of their previous six home matches against Nice, most recently being dumped out of the Coupe de France on penalties by them a fortnight ago.

If Kantari's side were to lose on Sunday against Nice, who sit one place and four points above them in the table, they would be at serious risk of being cut adrift in the division's relegation zone.

After finishing fourth and qualifying for the UEFA Europa League last campaign, Nice are having a dismal 2025-26 season.

Les Aiglons have lost seven of their previous eight league matches, the worst run of form by any side in the division, last claiming victory in October against Lille.

Over that period of time, Nice have also been incredibly vulnerable in defence, conceding 20 goals and only scoring five.

Despite beating Go Ahead Eagles on Thursday night, Claude Puel's side have also massively struggled in Europe, with their win against the Dutch side being the only points they have earned in the competition this season, making it now impossible to progress into the knockout phase.

Les Aiglons will also have huge concerns about their record on the road, having not won on their travels since October and failing to beat Nantes away since September 2021.

Nantes Ligue 1 form:

Nantes form (all competitions):

Nice Ligue 1 form:

Nice form (all competitions):

Team News

Colombian defender Deiver Machado was substituted after only 18 minutes in Nantes' match against Paris FC as he picked up a hamstring injury, making it unlikely he features this weekend.

Fabien Centonze is expected back at the beginning of February after also sustaining a hamstring injury, which has kept him out of action over the previous two games.

Both Mohamed Abdelmonem and Youssouf Ndayishimiye have been unavailable for Nice this season due to knee injuries, while Moise Bombito has also spent a significant period on the sidelines with a leg problem.

Melvin Bard, Sofiane Diop and Isak Jansson all missed Thursday's match against Go Ahead Eagles, and it remains to be seen whether they participate in Sunday's game.

Nantes possible starting lineup:

Lopes; Amian, Tati, Mwanga, Cozza; Sissoko, Cabella, Coquelin; Abline, El Arabi, Lepenant

Nice possible starting lineup:

Dupe; Clauss, Bah, Mantsounga, Abdi; Vanhoutte, Louchet, Abdul Samed; Cho, Wahi, Gouveia

We say: Nantes 1-2 Nice

Although they are on a dismal run of form, new manager Puel has somewhat steadied the ship since being at Nice, having lost only one of his first four matches in charge.

With Nantes showing no signs of overturning their disastrous home record and suffering a poor run themselves, we think Nice will replicate their victory from a fortnight ago this time around too.

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