Sunday sees Strasbourg take on Nantes in a Ligue 1 match at the Stade de la Meinau.
Strasbourg are currently riding high in the league table, sitting in fourth, while Nantes are a little lower in 10th.
Will Strasbourg’s strong run continue or will Nantes pull off a major victory?
Strasbourg vs Nantes Head-to-Head
Strasbourg have been enjoying a fantastic season thus far, and their strong run between late October and January has seen them rise up to fourth in the table.
However, Julien Stephan’s men were brought back down to earth somewhat with a thrilling 4-3 defeat at the hands of struggling Bordeaux in their last Ligue 1 game. They will be determined to bounce back here.
Nantes, meanwhile, have done far better thus far into 2021-22 than they did last season, when they required a playoff to avoid relegation.
A three-match win streak in December saw them rise as high as seventh in the table, and while they have slipped a few places since, their 4-2 win over Lorient in their last league match was highly impressive.
The last match between these two sides took place in November and was an exciting one. It ended 2-2, with Strasbourg’s Ludovic Ajorque being sent off.
Overall though, Strasbourg have the historic advantage in this game, winning four of their last six meetings with Nantes.
Strasbourg form guide: L-W-W-W-L
Nantes form guide: W-D-L-W-W
Strasbourg vs Nantes Team News
Strasbourg
The hosts will be without Habib Diallo, who is with Senegal at the AFCON, while three others are likely to miss out with injuries.
Injured: Maxime Le Marchand
Doubtful: Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Moise Sahi Dion
Suspended: None
Unavailable: Habib Diallo
Nantes
Jean-Charles Castelletto is still away at the AFCON with Cameroon, but Nantes’ other African players should be available and they have no injury issues right now.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: Jean-Charles Castelletto
Strasbourg vs Nantes Predicted XI
Strasbourg predicted XI (3-5-2): Matz Sels, Lucas Perrin, Gerzino Nyamsi, Ibrahima Sissoko, Frederic Guilbert, Adrien Thomasson, Sanjin Prcic, Alexander Djiku, Dimitri Lienard, Kevin Gameiro, Ludovic Ajorque
Nantes predicted XI (4-1-3-2): Alban Lafont, Fabio, Dennis Appiah, Nicolas Pallois, Quentin Merlin, Andrei Girotto, Marcus Coco, Osman Bukari, Pedro Chirivella, Ludovic Blas, Randal Kolo Muani
Strasbourg vs Nantes Prediction
Given the good form of both of these sides, this should be a tight game to call. Neither side have an impenetrable defense and both are capable of scoring goals against the other.
The home advantage lies with Strasbourg, who have historically dominated Nantes in recent meetings too, but with the visitors able to welcome some key players back, they can’t be counted out.
Overall, a draw is the prediction.
Prediction: Strasbourg 2-2 Nantes