We’re into the final furlong now as we approach the last few games of the Ligue 1 season. French football has really come into its own since last August with a campaign full of exciting twists and turns at both ends of the table. Now, it’s all a case of seeing who can hold their nerve. Today, we’ll be taking a look at what should be an interesting clash between Nantes and Lille.
Nantes Form GuideFollowing on from a memorable cup run last season, the hope was that Nantes would kick on and do something bigger this time around - but that hasn’t come to fruition. They are in the midst of a real relegation battle and while they have some room to push away, their fanbase will be questioning what needs to change for them in the summer transfer window.
If you wanted to see a game that summed up Nantes’ entire approach right now, go and watch their visit to take on Brest last Saturday. Sure, they had nine shots on goal, but only one was on target and they had just 28% possession in what was ultimately a 0-0 draw.
Lille Form GuideWe are a few years removed from the heroics of Lille winning Ligue One and ever since then, they haven’t quite been able to sustain the momentum they built for themselves. That doesn’t mean they haven’t got a good base or a good squad - far from it. In fact, if recent evidence is anything to go by, their momentum towards the end of this campaign could take them back to the UCL.
Lille and Lyon, to put it lightly, put on an absolute classic at the start of the week. They just went blow for blow in a desperate push to claim three points and the end result of that was a 4-3 win for Lyon, that leaves both teams with a lot to think about ahead of a quick turnaround.
Match PredictionNantes’ priority is to pick up points wherever they can - it really is that simple. Lille, meanwhile, have work to do in their push to try and qualify for the Champions League. We expect this to be a really tense affair and in terms of an outcome, we’re going to shoot for a draw.