Nantes welcome Metz to the Stade de la Beaujoire for the second game of this new Ligue 1 season in what is, at this point in time, a mid-table clash.
Both sides will have been pleased with promising draws during the opening weekend, though, and will now be aiming to make it a win this time out.
Match preview
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Nantes retained their top-flight status by the skin of their teeth last year, despite their improved fortunes under new manager Antoine Kombouare.
The former PSG coach succeeded bigger names, such as Christian Gourcuff and Raymond Domenech, as manager but had a bigger impact than his predecessors - four consecutive wins gave them the momentum to defeat Toulouse on away goals in the promotion/relegation playoff.
Their pre-season form was mixed, with victories over Guingamp and Brest, but losses to Caen, Lorient, Clermont and Ligue 2 Niort, so an opening game against Monaco looked to be a tough introduction to the season.
Les Canaries produced a resilient performance, though, with an excellent Jean-Charles Castelletto header and some stout defending earning them a point against last season's title challengers.
Metz also produced an impressive showing on the way to an unexpected draw, but in very different circumstances.
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Taking on reigning champions Lille at home, Frederic Antonetti's side somehow found themselves 3-1 up with 40 minutes left to play, as their opponents adjusted to life under new manager Jocelyn Gourvennec.
After 56 minutes, though, Boubakar Kouyate saw red for a last-ditch tackle on Burak Yilmaz. Perhaps a slightly harsh decision but the defender's feet were off the floor and he appeared somewhat out of control - either way, it cost his team dearly.
Lille rallied and rescued a point, courtesy of a Jonathan Ikone finish and then a cruel 96th-minute equaliser which went down as an Alexandre Oukidja own goal - although, in truth, there was little the goalkeeper could do with Yilmaz's shot from close range.
Nonetheless, if Metz had been offered a draw when they discovered they would be travelling to face the champions in their first game, they likely would have taken it, and there was enough on show to demonstrate the side's potential for this campaign.
The two sides could well play out a second consecutive draw - five of the previous 10 meetings between the pair at the Nantes stadium have ended 0-0 - but, this time, Metz will be determined to make amends for their near-miss in the last game and Nantes will not be backing down at their home ground.
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Team News
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Pedro Chirivella will be available to return to the Nantes midfield, with the ex-Liverpool man having now served his suspension for an accumulation of bookings from last season.
His presence in the middle of the park will be a boost to the club, who lost the influential Imran Louza to Watford and have Abdoulaye Toure reportedly training away from the first team as he seeks to secure a move away from the club.
Kalifa Coulibaly remains out with a thigh injury, so Moses Simon and Randal Kolo Muani will continue as the attacking partnership in a 4-4-2 formation.
Metz will be without Kouyate as he serves his suspension for the aforementioned red card - with Kevin N'Doram likely dropping back into defence in his absence - and there are still injury problems for Vincent Pajot, Opa Nguette and a long-term issue for defender Manuel Cabit.
The club has seen a fair few departures over the summer, including John Boye, Victorien Angban and Thierry Ambrose, and very few arrivals to replace them as Les Grenats struggle, like much of the league, with the financial knock-on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pape Sarr and Farid Boulaya remain in the team for now, though - despite reported interest in the pair - to help bolster the midfield in a 3-5-2 setup.
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Appiah, Pallois, Castelletto, Fabio; Pereira, Chirivella, Moutoussamy, Blas; Simon, Kolo Muani
Metz possible starting lineup:
Oukidja; Bronn, N'Doram, Udol; Centonze, Boulaya, Maiga, Sarr, Delaine; Niane, Sabaly
We say: Nantes 0-0 Metz
With the return of Chirivella and the absence of Kouyate, Metz will be up against it. The impact of those two late goals could either fire them up or discourage them, whilst Nantes have not managed a win against their opponents since September 2017, so it is probably easiest to go with the form book and predict a dull 0-0 on this occasion.
Top tip
James Mackenzie
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 40.89%. A win for Metz had a probability of 30.97% and a draw had a probability of 28.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Nantes win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.49%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.24%) and 2-0 (7.83%). The likeliest Metz win was 0-1 (10.48%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.14%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 7.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Nantes would win this match.
