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Nantes host Nice on Sunday (March 12) in Ligue 1 at the Stade de la Beaujoire.
The hosts are 14th in the standings, but with 28 points, they should be safe from a relegation battle. However, they have been on a slide recently, losing their last three league games.
Nice, meanwhile, have climbed up to seventh in recent weeks after putting together a strong run of nine games unbeaten under caretaker boss Didier Digard. Most recently, though, they were held by strugglers Auxerre, who secured a point after taking a first-half lead.
Nantes vs Nice Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Recent games between the two sides have tended to favour Nice. They have won four of their last six meetings with Nantes, including their last two visits to the Stade de la Beaujoire. The most recent clash ended 1-1, despite Nantes ending with nine men.
- Despite their overall patchy form this season, Nantes have only been beaten three times at home, suffering losses to champions elect Paris St. Germain as well as high flyers Marseille and Rennes.
- Nice are yet to suffer a defeat under caretaker boss Didier Digard, who took over the reins from Lucien Favre after the latter was fired following a shock Coupe de France loss to minnows Le Puy. This week also saw his side win the first leg of their UEFA Europa League tie with Sheriff Tiraspol.
- With 34 goals conceded, Nantes have the joint-tightest defence in the bottom half of Ligue 1. However, only four teams have scored fewer than their tally of 27 goals.
- Nice forward Terem Moffi has scored 14 league goals this season, but it’s worth noting that 12 of them came for his previous side Lorient.
Nantes vs Nice Prediction
Based solely on form, Nice have to be considered the favourites. They're on a lengthy unbeaten run and look hugely solid in defence, while Nantes have found goals tough to come by recently.
The hosts won’t make things easy for Digard’s men, particularly as they almost pulled off a win over them earlier in the season. However, their form has gotten worse since then, while Nice’s has improved. Expect this one to be a relatively close game, with Nice coming out on top.
Prediction: Nantes 0-1 Nice
Nantes vs Nice Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result – Nice win.
Tip 2: Nice to keep a clean sheet – Yes (Nice have kept six clean sheets in their last nine games.)
Tip 3: Nice to score in the first half – Yes (Nice’s last four goals have all come in the first half of games.)
