In the next round of the UEFA Europa League group stage, Nantes will face Qarabaq at the Stade de la Beaujolais on Thursday.
The hosts have had a disastrous start to the season and could soon see their Europa League ambitions end prematurely. They lost 4-0 to Bundesliga Freiburg in their last group-stage match but bounced back with strong performances in their next league match.
Nantes is third in the group with 3 points from 4 matches. They will shake off their recent results and try to get the maximum score this week.
Karabag on the other hand has had a great campaign so far and is set for the Europa League playoffs this season. They were held to a goalless draw by Olympiakos in their last continental game and will regret not getting the maximum score after most of the time.
Prediction
Nantes are on an unbeaten run but have won just one of their last nine matches in all competitions. However, they have lost just one of their last four games at home and will be hoping to extend their home advantage on Thursday.
Qarabag is on a winning streak and is unbeaten in their last 9 matches in all competitions. They have won the last three road races and can extend that record here.
Nantes 1-2 Qarabag
head-to-head
Thursday’s match was only the second meeting between Nantes and Qarabag last month, with their first meeting last month being a return fixture.
The visitors won the last match 3-0, ending their eight-match unbeaten run against France. Ligue 1 has conceded 10 goals in the Europa League this season. Only FC Zurich has met more.
The national team of Azerbaijan has not conceded a single goal in the last 3 intercontinental matches.
Karabag has 12 points from 4 league games this season, which is the best so far in the Azerbaijani Premier League. The Canary Islands have 8 out of 11 points scored in their home games this season.
line-up
Nantes predicted starting lineup:
Lafont; Appiah, Girotto, Pallios, Merlin; Chirivella, Sissoko, Moutoussamy; Blas, Ganago, Simon
Qarabag FK predicted starting lineup:
Gugeshashvili; Vesovic, Mustafazada, Guseynov, Cafarguliyev; Qarayev, Richard; Kady, Zoubir; Sheydayev, Kwabena
betting tips
- Result: Qarabag
- Nantes to concede first: YES (The hosts have conceded the first goal in five of their last six games)
- Goals – Over/under 2.5 – Over 2.5 goals (All but two of the visitors’ last 10 matches have produced more than 2.5 goals)
where to watch
The match will be broadcasted on Sony Liv Channel and Streamed on the Sony LIV app.