Nantes vs Rennes prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2024-04-19 15:00.
[p]Nantes may still be uncomfortably close to the bottom-three, but two wins from their last three league games (L1) have given them some breathing space, especially as last Sundayâs 1-0 victory came against fellow strugglers Le Havre. Their last-gasp winner eased relegation fears, but newly-returned manager Antoine KombouarĂ© warned that âthe job isnât done yetâ with the Canaries starting the round just five points ahead of 16th-placed Lorient.[/p]
[p]He added that there are still points to be earned, which is not something Nantes have done at home since beating Nice 1-0 in early December, setting an unwanted club record by losing their next eight competitive home fixtures. All but one of those games saw them concede first, so a decent start against Rennes would be the ideal way to mark the 50th competitive H2H theyâve hosted.[/p]
[p]The visitors have dropped out of the top-half of the standings after losing their last three Ligue 1 outings, including last weekendâs 2-1 defeat to Toulouse which was marred by fan clashes before the match which resulted in a number of injuries. Despite that, Rennes remain in contention for European qualification, so thereâs plenty of motivation to raise their game for the fiercely contested âDerby de la Bretagneâ.[/p]
[p]The Red and Blacks will hope their football makes the headlines here, as after losing just one of the last eight meetings (W6, D1), theyâve had the better of recent exchanges. Yet, no win across their last four league away fixtures (D2, L2) means they canât take anything for granted as they head south, particularly as they failed to score in the last two of those (L2).[/p]
[p]Players to watch: It was perhaps unsurprising that Kader Bambaâs winner for Nantes against Le Havre came late on as all three of his goals this term arrived after the 70th minute. Rennesâ DĂ©sirĂ© DouĂ© also struck late in the reverse fixture in October (Rennes 3-1 Nantes), though his last two goals came before the 40th minute.[/p]
[p]Hot streak: The home team on the day has kept a second-half clean sheet in each of the last seven H2Hs.[/p]