Preview: Nantes vs. Le Havre - prediction, team news, lineups

Le Havre have impressed so far during their first top-flight season for 15 years, sitting seventh in the table, two places above Sunday's opponents.

Match preview

The November international break may well have come at an ideal time for Nantes, whose encouraging start to the season began to unravel a little in the weeks preceding the halt in domestic action.

Pierre Aristouy's side overcame back-to-back defeats at the very start of the campaign to then win four and lose just one of their following seven games, easing immediate concerns of another relegation battle.

However, a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Lens towards the end of October brought them back down to earth, and subsequent defeats to Reims and Metz have left them now without a Ligue 1 point for more than a month.

Indeed, Nantes have now lost 15 of their last 28 league matches, but you have to go back more than four years for the last time they lost four Ligue 1 games on the bounce - a fate which did not even befall them last season, when they only escaped relegation by one point.

Even so, for a team that came so close to dropping into Ligue 2 last term, they will be satisfied with a top-half position after a third of the current campaign, sitting ninth heading into this match.

That said, the tight nature of the Ligue 1 table means that they are still only three points clear of Lorient in the relegation playoff position, and that is something that their opponents Le Havre will also be wary of.

Luka Elsner's side will understandably and justifiably have a positive outlook on their season so far, sitting as they do in seventh place and with only one point separating them from the European spots.

However, points-wise they are also closer to the relegation playoff place than they are to fifth place, and a poor run of results could see their good start to life back in the top flight quickly count for very little.

Le Havre have so far made themselves difficult to beat with just three defeats all season - only the top four have lost fewer - and only two in their last 10 outings.

The Dean Club entered the international break on a four-match unbeaten run in the wake of their 3-0 loss to Marseille in October, which remains their solitary defeat away from home this season too.

However, they have also only won one of their last six outings, and three of the last four have ended goalless.

Such a run highlights Le Havre's impressive defensive record which has been the foundation of them being difficult to beat, with only three teams conceding fewer goals, but things do appear to have dried up a little at the other end too.

Sunday's match will be the first meeting between these two sides for more than a decade, and the first in the top flight since May 2009.

On that occasion over 14 years ago, Le Havre picked up their one and only top-flight away win over Nantes, but the Canaries are unbeaten in the last seven meetings between the two sides home and away.

Nantes Ligue 1 form:

L

W

W

L

L

L

Le Havre Ligue 1 form:

L

L

D

D

W

D

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Team News

Nantes are in the fortunate position of having an almost fully-fit squad to choose from for this match, with defender Fabien Centonze, who is yet to feature this season, the only confirmed absentee.

Douglas Augusto is also a doubt but could be in contention to make his first appearance since October 6 following a knee injury.

Mostafa Mohamed is Nantes' top scorer this season and will be looking to add to his five-goal tally, having also been on the scoresheet for Egypt during the international break.

Twenty-year-old Matthis Abline will be hopeful of a starting role alongside him in attack against his former club, but he may be forced to settle for a place on the bench.

Le Havre, meanwhile, will be without suspended forward duo of Josue Casimir and Mohamed Bayo, both of whom have accumulated too many yellow cards.

Those absences could open the door for the recently-signed Andre Ayew to make his debut, although while he featured for Ghana during the recent international break, his lack of club football so far this season could see him limited to a cameo role off the bench.

Oussama Targhaline and Oualid El Hajjam remain sidelined through injury, but there are no fresh injury concerns for the visitors.

Plenty of eyes will be on centre-back Arouna Sangante, who has been linked with some of Europe's biggest clubs in recent days.

Nantes possible starting lineup:

Lafont; Castelletto, Comert, Pallois; Coco, Moutoussamy, Chirivella, Merlin; Mollet, Mohamed, Simon

Le Havre possible starting lineup:

Desmas; Salmier, Sangante, Lloris; Nego, Toure, Kuzyaev, Operi; Alioui, Grandsir; Joujou

We say: Nantes 1-1 Le Havre

These two sides look like a good matchup for each other in a number of ways.

Only three teams have scored more than Nantes in Ligue 1 this season, while only three teams have conceded fewer than Le Havre, so the result will likely come down to which of those units wins that battle.

Both teams have struggled for wins in recent times, and as a result both would probably be fairly content with a draw from this match. We are going for a share of the spoils.

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