Struggling Nantes welcome newly-promoted Ajaccio to the Beaujolais Stade on Sunday in a crucial Ligue 1 clash between 16th and 17th.

After finishing 9th in Ligue 1 following a historic French Cup win last season, Nantes will enter European competition for the first time in 21 years with high hopes for the 2022-23 season. Les Canaries finished second in their Europa League group last Thursday and drew with Juventus after knocking out Olympiacos, but Antoine Comboire’s men have lacked consistency in the competition and won just two of their opening 14 games.

Third-lowest scorer in the division, La Maison Jaune Randal Kolo Mouani lost to Eintracht Frankfurt, while midfielder Ludovic Blas could not match his target result from the previous season. The Bretons are unbeaten on a three-game winning streak in Ligue 1 until last weekend’s defeat at Reims as Ignatius Ganago has been in encouraging form since his summer move from Lens.

A 54th-minute red card didn’t help Nantes in last weekend’s defeat, but they will be hoping to inspire the relegated visitors to a decisive victory after a home win. Fans who took part in the race in this campaign.

Nantes vs Ajaccio Prediction

Ajaccio managed to gain a bit of an advantage after beating Strasbourg last weekend, so neither team performed well in this match.

However, Nantes are very confident at home and are on the strong side, having been unbeaten by the visitors over the years. It should be a close game but a common prediction is a home win.

Head-to-head

Let’s go back to the 2009 Ligue 2 match and find out when Ajaccio last beat Nantes. Because the last 5 meetings ended with Nantes 4 wins and 1 draw.

Their last win at the Stade de la Beaujolais was in 2005. Nantes have lost just one of their last 10 Ligue 1 home games and lost 3-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in September. In fact, their home form is better than any team in Ligue 1. Only bottom Angers have lost more than Ajaccio in the 2022-23 season, with Ajaccio losing 9 of Angers’ 10.

Surprisingly, Ajaccio have won more matches than the hosts this season. Ajaccio’s Romain Hamuma is one of five Ligue 1 players to have been sent off twice this season. Despite their low ratings in Ligue 1, Nantes and Ajaccio have not been bad in defense this season. Both teams have conceded 22 goals, less than the other 8 teams in Ligue 1.

Line-up

Nantes predicted starting lineup:
Lafont; Merlin, Girotto, Castelletto, Centonze; Chirivella, Moutoussamy; Simon, Sissoko, Blas; Ganago

Ajaccio predicted starting lineup:
Leroy; Kone, Gonzalez, Diallo, Youssouf; Belaili, Coutadeur, Marchetti, Nouri; El Idrissy, Hamouma

Betting tips

• Winner – Nantes win
• Game to have fewer than 2.5 goals – Yes (there have been under 2.5 goals scored in Nantes’ last three Ligue 1 games).
• Ajaccio to fail to score – Yes

Where to watch

Ligue 1 is streamed by Voot.