French football is back this weekend with a full slate of fixtures across Ligue 1. There’s plenty to get excited about up and down the top flight and as we enter the last few weeks of February, it’ll be interesting to see who can start to build some momentum ahead of the next few months. Today, we’ll be taking a look at what should be a fun encounter between Lorient and Nantes.
Lorient Form GuideLorient looked far more composed last season than they did the year prior when they found themselves edging towards the relegation zone. In terms of expectations, it’s not uncalled for to suggest that there aren’t many on their shoulders right now. A cup run and a potential push for the top half is on the table, but based on recent evidence, just surviving would be good enough.
Lorient showed the kind of resilience they needed against Strasbourg in a game that proved how efficient they can be when they’re firing on all cylinders. They raced out to a 3-0 lead and held off a surge from Strasbourg to secure a 3-1 victory.
Nantes Form GuideIt came down to the wire, but Nantes just about managed to stay in Ligue One last season and avoid relegation - just a few weeks after they received a battering in the French Cup final. They have a few talented players at their disposal and they look a far better team this time around, but there’s always the risk of them losing confidence and going on a major skid again.
Nantes did a solid job of holding PSG off at the weekend but, as was expected by the majority of fans and pundits, they couldn’t keep it up until the full time whistle. Lucas Hernandez gave the visitors the lead, with a Kylian Mbappe penalty sealing the deal in a 2-0 loss for Nantes.
Match PredictionThis is the definition of a relegation six-pointer but in our view, there’s only one clear winner coming out of this one. Nantes have impact players but we don’t think they’re good enough to keep up with the hosts, which is why we’re going to predict a Lorient victory.
