Nantes vs Lille prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2022-08-11 19:00.
The departure of Randal Kolo Muani weighed heavily on Nantes during their goalless draw at Angers in their Ligue 1 opener, especially in the first half where they failed to muster a single shot on target. Such stats increase the calls for coach Antoine KombouarĂ© to address Nantesâ recent slow starts and they will be aided by the return of defender Jean-Charles Castelletto after his sending off against PSG in the French Super Cup, as KombouarĂ© and his side look to avoid going three competitive games without a goal since September last year.
Victorious in their opening home league match across the last two seasons, Nantes fans will therefore return to the Stade de la Beaujoire with high expectations. A 13-game winless streak at home against Lille in Ligue 1 (D5, L8) – dating back to May 2004 – could temper those expectations, especially as the Canaries have lost the last four.
Lille are now free from the âdefending championsâ tag they held last season which saw them register the worst finish of a reigning Ligue 1 champion (tenth) since Monaco in 2001 (11th). The shoots of recovery were evident when Lille started their season, as a 4-1 home triumph against newly-promoted Auxerre last weekend contributed to the most prolific Ligue 1 opening round in 45 years (34 goals)!
New Lille coach Pablo Fonseca said he was âvery happyâ with the intensity at the beginning of the game, leading to the second fastest goal in the clubâs history after only 36 seconds of play, scored by Benjamin AndrĂ©! Another early goal here could prove crucial considering Lille have kept a clean sheet in their last three visits to La Beaujoire (W3).
Players to watch: Nantes will hope Ludovic Blas can find the net given they won 11 of the 13 games he scored in last term (D2). Meanwhile, a Lille player has scored a brace in their previous three Ligue 1 outings, and Jonathan David accounted for two. He also scored a brace in Lilleâs visit to Nantes in February 2021.
Hot stat: Seven out of ten (70%) Ligue 1 fixtures featured over 2.5 goals on opening weekend.