Nantes vs Lorient prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-09-22 15:00.
It may have taken five rounds, but Nantes kept their head above the dotted relegation line at this early stage with a 1-0 win at Clermont last weekend – their first league win of the season (W1, D2, L2). A slow start isn’t exactly anything new for the Canaries, who actually picked up one fewer point on the way to an eventual top-half finish in 2021/22, so they’ll hope to kick on further against a Lorient side they’ve not lost a home H2H against since 2007.
A home return isn’t guaranteed to stimulate further progress for Nantes, who have won just one of their last 11 home league games (D5, L5). The long-suffering home faithful have watched their side concede at least twice in eight of the last ten games in that streak, whilst two of the last three games also worryingly saw them drop points from winning positions.
It hasn’t been a much better start to proceedings for Lorient, who have been solid if uninspiring across the opening five rounds (W1, D3, L1). They’ve shown character by coming from behind to claim two of their six points and given that they recovered an impressive 12 points from losing positions last season, they shouldn’t be written off here at any point.
Régis Le Bris’ side will have to end a run of over four hours without scoring an away league goal if they’ve any ambition of winning this game, a run which forms the bulk of a current four-game winless run of Ligue 1 road trips (D2, L2). Lorient have failed to win 11 of their last 12 away league games, although with the only win during that sequence coming against PSG, any outcome remains possible here.
Players to watch: Nantes star Moses Simon has been involved in his side’s last two league goals (G1, A1). Lorient’s Romain Faivre netted a 97th-minute equaliser against Monaco last time out, yet he’s only managed a consolation goal in two separate defeats against Nantes.
Hot stat: Nantes were unbeaten in ten of their last 11 league games as pre-match favourites (W5, D5, L1); this is their first of this campaign.