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Nantes
Ligue 1 | Gameweek 20
Jan 17, 2021 at 2pm UK
La Beaujoire-Louis Fonteneau
Lens logo

Nantes
1 - 1
Lens

Louza (36' pen.)
Kolo (50'), Corchia (67'), Toure (87')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Kakuta (81')
Gradit (34'), Haidara (69'), Fortes (77')

Preview: Nantes vs. Lens - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Sunday's Ligue 1 clash between Nantes and Lens, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Nantes entertain Lens in Ligue 1 on Sunday afternoon with both sides looking to address their recent poor form.

The hosts are without a win in their last 10 matches, while Franck Haise's men have lost three of their four outings.


Match preview

Lens celebrate scoring against Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 on September 10, 2020© Reuters

Les Canaris have endured a torrid 2020-21 campaign to date, picking up just 17 points from their opening 19 top-flight matches.

Raymond Domenech's men sit just three points above the relegation zone, and with Dijon starting to put in improved performances of late, the situation is getting worse by the week at the Stade de la Beaujoire.

Nantes made the shock decision to turn to the former France national team coach after sacking Christian Gourcuff in December.

The 68-year-old had been out of management since Le Blues exited the 2010 World Cup at the group stages.

Nantes have drawn both of their games under Domenech's stewardship and will be viewing the visit of Lens as a good opportunity to claim their first victory under the new regime.

Lens have enjoyed the first half of the season and are sitting comfortably in mid-table, despite this being their first campaign back in Ligue 1 after winning promotion in 2019-20.

Former Chelsea man Gael Kakuta has been in inspired form of late with his seven goals and four assists firing Sang et Or to within six points of Monaco, who currently occupy the final Champions League spot.

However, Haise's side have struggled in recent weeks. A shock 1-0 loss on home soil to Strasbourg last time out means Lens have only picked up three points from a possible 12.

The 1997-98 league champions will want to address their poor fortunes as quickly as possible, and three points against relegation-threatened Nantes could be the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Nantes Ligue 1 form: DLDLDD

Lens Ligue 1 form: LWLWLL


Team News

Anthony Limbombe celebrates with Nantes teammates after scoring on April 12, 2019© Reuters

Left-winger Anthony Limbombe is a long-term absentee for Nantes, with the 26-year-old suffering from an abductor tear.

He is joined on the sidelines by fellow midfielder Moses Simon, who picked up a muscle problem last time out.

Lens are currently suffering from a string of injuries. Full-back Cheick Traore has been unavailable since the summer when he ruptured an Achilles tendon.

Tony Mauricio, Loic Bade and Corentin Jean are keeping the defender company on the treatment table, with the trio expected to be out for a few more weeks yet.

Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Fabio, Pallois, Girotto, Corchia; Louza, Toure, Abeid, Coco; Coulibaly, Kolo

Lens possible starting lineup:
Leca; Gradit, Bade, Fortes; Clauss, Doucoure, Fofana, Boura; Kakuta; Sotoca, Ganago


SM words green background

We say: Nantes 1-1 Lens

Lens tend not to draw many matches, but their recent woes and the stubbornness that Nantes have shown in their two outings under Domenech suggest the two teams could be taking home a share of the spoils over the weekend.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data


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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Lens win with a probability of 37.8%. A win for Nantes had a probability of 35.21% and a draw had a probability of 27%.

The most likely scoreline for a Lens win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.48%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.19%) and 0-2 (6.7%). The likeliest Nantes win was 1-0 (10.03%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.82%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.8% likelihood.


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rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Paris Saint-GermainPSG26178162233959
2Brest26138536201647
3MonacoMonaco26137647361146
4Lille261110537231443
5Nice2612772720743
6Lens2612683527842
7Marseille26109740281239
8Rennes2610974031939
9Reims26115103435-138
10Lyon26104123040-1034
11Toulouse2678112936-729
12StrasbourgStrasbourg2678112839-1129
13Le HavreLe Havre2669112633-727
14Montpellier HSCMontpellier2669113140-926
15Lorient2668123549-1426
16NantesNantes2674152441-1725
17Metz2665152339-1623
18Clermont2648141943-2420


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