Both battling at the wrong end of the Ligue 1 table heading into 2023, Nantes and Auxerre kick off the new year in search of three precious points on Sunday.
With just five wins between them all season, neither side was able to claim victory upon their return to competitive action, leaving them separated by only one point in the standings.
Match preview
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After a difficult first phase of the season, Nantes returned to Ligue 1 duty earlier this week, seeking an upturn in fortunes. However, Wednesday's goalless stalemate with fellow strugglers Troyes proved a frustrating affair.
Despite firing in more than three times as many shots at goal as their hosts, Antoine Kombouare's side could not find a way through at Stade de l'Aube, and as a result, have not scored a first-half goal in five straight league fixtures. Furthermore, they are still without an away win in the current campaign.
Instead, it has been the resilient home form of Les Canaris which has kept them just above the drop zone, and ahead of Auxerre's visit on New Year's Day, they have been beaten just once in Nantes this term.
A total of eight Ligue 1 draws has seen them accumulate points at a steady but unspectacular rate, but they have now endured a five-game winless streak since getting the better of Europa League opponents Olympiacos in early November.
While Kombouare still has credit in the bank from leading Nantes to Coupe de France victory last season and helping them secure mid-table security - not to mention reaching the knockout stages in Europe, where they will face Italian giants Juventus in February - the pressure is still on to seize victory from fixtures such as Sunday's.
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Since Christophe Pelissier became coach of Auxerre in mid-October, succeeding Jean-Marc Furlan, only one league win has followed for the Burgundy club that defied the odds to become French champions back in 1996.
With just 13 points after 16 games of their comeback campaign, they are mired in the relegation zone and are in serious danger of returning to Ligue 2 after ending a 10-year spell in the second tier only last spring.
Occupying 18th place in the table, Auxerre are nonetheless a mere point from safety at present, and victory at Stade de la Beaujoire would see them leapfrog 16th-placed Nantes. They have won only once, though, away from home so far, and with six losses on the road too, possess the top flight's worst away record.
Even home advantage could not help them upset the form book last time out, as Pelissier saw his side defeated by a late goal from Monaco starlet Eliesse Ben Seghir on Wednesday, when they let a first-half lead slip to lose 3-2.
Reinforcements are apparently on the way to help bolster the squad in January, but they will not arrive until after a testing trip to the Atlantic coast.
Team News
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After Nantes finally welcomed back Charles Traore following his long layoff with an ACL injury on Wednesday, the Mali international could be in contention to start against Auxerre, though Quentin Merlin is favourite to keep his place on the left flank if he overcomes an adductor issue.
Fabio is still sidelined by a calf strain, though; Andrei Girotto also has a calf problem, and midfielder Pedro Chirivella sustained a minor knee injury in the draw with Troyes so may miss out.
Up front, Mostafa Mohamed is without a league goal since the end of October but is still set to lead the line with support from five-goal top scorer Moses Simon.
Meanwhile, Auxerre have reached an agreement with Marseille to loan teenage defender Isaak Toure and also expect young Rennes forward Matthis Abline to join until the end of the season when the transfer window opens.
Neither is set to feature on Sunday, however, so M'Baye Niang - who scored five goals in three mid-season friendlies before netting from the penalty spot against Monaco - is charged with carrying the visitors' attack; veteran striker Gaetan Charbonnier recently left for Saint-Etienne.
The back four is likely to remain unchanged, after right-back Akim Zedadka made his debut this week, having arrived from Lille in early December.
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Corchia, Castelletto, Pallois, Merlin; Appiah; Blas, Sissoko, Moutoussamy, Simon; Mohamed
Auxerre possible starting lineup:
Costil; Zedadka, Jeanvier, Jubal, Mensah; Sinayoko, Toure, Sakhi, Perrin; Autret; Niang
We say: Nantes 1-0 Auxerre
As Auxerre do not travel well, it seems that Nantes are in prime position to claim maximum points from this bottom-four contest, which could be a tense encounter given both teams' current status. Therefore, a single goal could win it for the home side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
