Seeking to end a 10-match winless run in Ligue 1, Nantes return to Stade de la Beaujoire on Sunday for a date with Rennes.
Despite a 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain last weekend, La Maison Jaune sit in a relegation position, second from the bottom, while an emphatic 5-0 victory over Saint-Etienne lifted Stade Rennais into 12th.
Match preview
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The 2024-25 campaign has been as uneventful as Antoine Kombouare could have imagined when he returned to the Nantes sidelines in March.
La Maison Jaune have collected just two points from their previous seven Ligue 1 affairs and are currently on their longest run without a domestic triumph since November 2020 to December 2021 (16), which preceded Kombouare's first spell as their head coach.
Nantes supporters have had little to celebrate domestically this season, with their side winning just one of their six Ligue 1 home games and only 19% of their points in 2024 coming at Stade de la Beaujoire, the lowest percentage in the French top flight this year.
Five times in the 2024-25 domestic campaign the club from Pays de la Loire have either drawn first blood or had a second-half advantage and failed to win, dropping 12 points in the process.
The silver lining is that only two points currently separate them from Saint-Etienne and a guaranteed spot in the top flight next season, claiming their first point of the campaign from a losing position last weekend.
Les Canaris have lost each of their last four meetings with Rennes in this competition but have never suffered five successive defeats against the team from Brittany.
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A frustrating month of November ended on a high rote for Stade Rennais, who snapped a losing run and scoring drought which spanned three matches last Saturday.
It was the first victory for Jorge Sampaoli as club manager, and this weekend, the Argentine can guide them to consecutive league triumphs for the first time all season.
At the same time, a win on Sunday would mark their first away from home in the 2024-25 top-flight campaign, with Les Rouge et Noirs collecting just one point as the visitors this season.
However, should they fail to claim victory this weekend, they would equal their longest road winless run from January to May 2019 (eight matches).
With a mere 14 points from 13 fixtures, it is their worst start to a Ligue 1 campaign since 2002-03, when they claimed just nine points at this stage of the season.
Of the 19 goals that Les Rennais have conceded in the top flight this season, 14 have occurred away from home, while they have failed to score in consecutive road games.
Team News
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Tino Kadewere is likely a few weeks away from returning to the Nantes lineup, with the Zimbabwean striker recovering from a muscle injury, while Jean-Charles Castelletto may be doubtful due to a calf strain.
Kombouare inserted three new faces into his starting 11 on matchday 13, including Patrick Carlgren getting the call between the sticks, while Fabien Centonze and Nicolas Pallois began in the Nantes back five.
Matthis Abline fired home their equalising goal against PSG, drawing even with Moses Simon for first on the team this season (three).
Alidu Seidu and Dogan Alemdar will not be available for Rennes this weekend because of cruciate ligament tears, with the former already ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.
Sampaoli made three changes to his opening lineup last weekend, bringing Mikayil Faye, Jordan James and Ludovic Blas into the starting 11.
Arnaud Kalimuendo netted a hat trick in the victory over Saint-Etienne, the fourth player to do so in the top flight this season, with the other goals coming courtesy of Blas and Amine Gouiri.
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Carlgren; Centonze, Duverne, Zeze, Pallois, Cozza; Lepenant, Chirivella, Augusto; Abline, Simon
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; Hateboer, Ostigard, Faye; Assignon, Santamaria, Matusiwa, Truffert; Blas, Gouiri; Kalimuendo
We say: Nantes 0-2 Rennes
As poor as Rennes have been away from Roazhon Park throughout the campaign, Nantes have struggled just as much, if not more so, at home.
Last weekend's big victory should remind Stade Rennais that they boast plenty of quality attacking pieces, which we believe will cause problems for the home team on Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
