Nantes vs Metz prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2024-03-02 14:00.
After a tricky start to life in the dugout, it looks like new Nantes manager Jocelyn Gourvennec is beginning to turn the team’s fortunes around. The Canaries have won two of their last three Ligue 1 matches (L1), putting breathing space between themselves and the relegation zone in the process, having lost five of their first seven top-flight outings (W1, D1) under the 51-year old, who took the reins in late November.
Nantes’ most recent game was a 2-1 success at Lorient, meaning they finally ended a two-year wait to win back-to-back away league games. To pull clear of danger once and for all, they now desperately need to transfer that form to the Stade de la Beaujoire, where the hosts have lost five matches in a row across all competitions for the first time since February 2020.
They may feel they have the perfect opportunity to end that desperate run against opponents Metz, who make the long trip west on the back of an 11-match winless streak (D2, L9), scoring only five goals in the process. Such form means they head into this round five points from safety in the Ligue 1 relegation zone, but despite such a perilous position, they remain loyal to manager László Bölöni who guided them back to the top-flight last season.
The Maroons’ last result was a real killer, as they let a 1-0 lead slip in losing 2-1 against a rejuvenated Lyon. If it comes as any consolation to supporters though, Metz have picked up 11 of their 17 points this season on the road, while one of their four league victories this campaign did come against Nantes, a 3-1 success in mid-November. A glut of goals like that is rare when these two sides meet, as this fixture has been drawn 0-0 17 times in the top-flight – more than any other in Ligue 1 history!
Key battle: Nantes will be hoping Moses Simon has brought his shooting boots, as he has lost only two of the last 12 games in which he has scored (W7, D3), although one of those defeats was the meeting earlier this season. Attempting to thwart him will be Metz goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja, who has kept clean sheets in half of his six H2Hs (W3, D2, L1).
Hot stat: Ahead of the round, Nantes have conceded a league-high of 13 second-half goals on home soil.