On Saturday, Nantes can hand Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) their first away defeat of the Ligue 1 campaign when the two sides clash at Stade de le Beaujoire on matchday 22.
La Maison Jaune won their first league fixture of 2024 last weekend, 2-1 over Toulouse, while Les Parisiens are starting to pull away at the top of the table, holding an 11-point cushion on Nice following their 3-1 triumph versus Lille.
Match preview
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It has been a miserable couple of months domestically for Jocelyn Gourvennec, though his side finally claimed three points last Sunday, ending a six-match winless run in this competition as a result.
That was the first time since their 1-0 victory over Nice on December 2 that this team had been ahead in a domestic affair, while they are undefeated since matchday one of the 2023-24 campaign when netting the opening goal.
Nantes lost five of their six league fixtures during that slump, and they are now only three points above Lorient in the relegation playoff place.
Coming into this contest, Nantes have suffered four successive defeats in all competitions at Stade de la Beaujoire, failing to find the back of the net in three of those encounters.
To this point of the 2023-24 Ligue 1 campaign, Nantes have only claimed two victories versus sides currently above them in the table, defeating Strasbourg on matchday eight (2-0) and edging Nice in early December.
They have lost their last four matches versus PSG in all competitions, conceding multiple strikes in each of those encounters, with their previous victory against them coming at Stade de la Beaujoire during the 2021-22 domestic campaign (3-1).
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Even when they are slow out of the gate, the league leaders always seem to win with ease, and that was the case against Lille last Saturday.
Their victory last weekend was only the second time domestically in 2023-24 that they had been behind, though it only lasted four minutes before drawing level and going in front on 17 minutes thanks to an own-goal by Alexsandro.
There are still 17 matchdays remaining, but it already appears as though Les Parisiens have the league title sewn up, going unbeaten in 16 successive league fixtures, equalling their longest run without a defeat from the previous domestic campaign.
In their previous league fixture PSG reached the 50-point plateau after 21 matchdays, which bodes well for their title aspirations, as the only French top-flight side that failed to win the league when boasting that total or more at this stage of a season was Nimes in 1959-60 (51).
Luis Enrique's men have won all four of their away matches in all competitions this year, netting multiple times in each of those triumphs.
They put themselves in a great position to make it beyond the last 16 of the Champions League, winning their opening leg versus Real Sociedad, 2-0 at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
Team News
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Bastien Meupiyou will likely miss this match for Nantes due to a knee injury, Remy Descamps is dealing with a groin strain, Eray Comert has a sore ankle and Kelvin Amian continues to recover from an ankle issue.
Moses Simon should be available for selection after collecting a silver medal at the Africa Cup of Nations last weekend, with Nigeria squandering a 1-0 lead and losing to the Ivory Coast (2-1).
Mostafa Mohamed netted his team-leading seventh in Ligue 1 last weekend, while Tino Kadewere scored his first of the campaign, which held up as the winner.
Presnel Kimpembe remains sidelined for PSG due to an issue with his Achilles tendon, Nuno Mendes has a hamstring strain, Sergio Rico is recovering from a head injury, Milan Skriniar is dealing with an ankle problem and Layvin Kurzawa continues to deal with a sore back.
Keylor Navas made his first start of the domestic campaign last weekend, stopping two of the three shots that he faced versus Lille, replacing Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Goncalo Ramos and Randal Kolo Muani netted for PSG on matchday 21, while second-half strikes from Kylian Mbappe and Bradley Barcola propelled them to an opening leg victory versus Real Sociedad.
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Castelletto, Pallois, Cozza, Duverne; Coco, Sissoko, Chirivella; Appuah, Mohamed, Simon
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Pereira, Hernandez, Beraldo; Ugarte, Ruiz; Zaire-Emery; Dembele, Mbappe, Kang-in
We say: Nantes 0-1 Paris Saint-Germain
Fresh off their knockout fixture just days ago, Enrique may have to rely on his bench to claim three points in this one, but the Spaniard has plenty of options to choose from, which should carry them past a Nantes side that have been incredibly inconsistent over the past few months.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
