The Allianz Riviera will be the stage for Friday’s French Ligue 1 clash between Nice and Nantes. Neither team has been at their best lately and they could be set to serve up a close encounter.
Nice have lost some ground in the UEFA Champions League race after failing to earn a win in their last three Ligue 1 matches. Franck Haise's team were beaten 2-1 at Monaco last time out and are two points off the top three.
Les Aiglons have fared much better on home soil and are unbeaten in seven of their last eight matches at Allianz Riviera. The hosts often start early and have led at the break in three of their last four fixtures in front of their fans.
Nantes will look to bounce back after suffering a 3-2 defeat at Le Havre in their previous Ligue 1 fixture. They have now won just two of their last seven matches and are now just three points above the relegation zone.
Antoine Kombouare’s men have also struggled on their travels and have lost their last three Ligue 1 away matches. Defending appears to be a major problem for the visitors, who have conceded 12 goals across those three fixtures.
How the bookies view it: Nice overwhelming favourites
Nice have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 4/9 by BoyleSports for a home win. A victory for Nantes is priced at 5/1 while a draw is set at 16/5 on BoyleSports.
Head to head: Nantes on top
Nantes have an 18-12 advantage with 14 draws from 44 previous matches against Nice. The visitors are also unbeaten in the last six meetings while the reverse fixture back in October ended in a 1-1 draw.
Players to watch: Guessand to shine
Evann Guessand is Nice’s top scorer in the league with 11 goals and will be the one to watch on Friday. The striker was also on target in the previous fixture and is priced at 13/8 by BoyleSports to get on the score sheet once again.
Matthis Abline has notched up seven Ligue 1 goals this season and also found the net in the reverse fixture. The forward could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime on Saturday at 7/2 with BoyleSports.
Probable line-ups
Tanguy Ndombele remains sidelined for Nice due to injury, while Melvin Bard serves a suspension. However, they received a boost last weekend with the return of Terem Moffi, who could feature in attack alongside Jeremy Boga and Guessand.
Meanwhile, Nantes continue to struggle with absentees as Jean-Charles Castelletto remains suspended while Alban Lafont, Tino Kadewere and Francis Coquelin are part of a lengthy injury list. Matthis Abline, Mostafa Mohamed and Moses Simon should feature in the starting lineup.
Nice: Bulka, Bombito, Ndayishimiye, Abdelmonem, Clauss, Rosario, Santamaria, Abdi, Guessand, Moffi, Boga
Nantes: Lopes, Amian, Sow, Pallois, Cozza, Lepenant, Douglas Augusto, Thomas, Abline, Simon, Mohamed
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have scored in four of their last five meetings and that trend is likely to continue at 5/6 with BoyleSports. Four of the last six matches between both teams have produced more goals after the break and a similar outcome is valued at evens by BoyleSports.
Nice have led at the break in three of their last four home matches and look set to earn a halftime win on Saturday at 21/20 with BoyleSports.
This French Ligue 1 match between Nice and Nantes will be played on and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Nice vs Nantes prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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