Our prediction for this Ligue 1 match:
Nantes and Bordeaux square off against each other at Stade de la Beaujoire in the Ligue 1 round 34. Les Canaris aim to put an end to their three-game winless run, with the team eyeing a top-ten finish. Midfielder Marcus Coco, who found the net in a 3-2 loss to Marseille, serves a one-game ban, while defender Jean-Charles Castelletto is back from suspension.
Les Girondings, on the other hand, played out a 2-2 draw with St. Etienne in the relegation six-pointer. Bordeaux aim to keep their survival hopes alive, and seeing that they want this win more than Bordeaux, away win should be considered. The good news for the hosts is that Korea international Ui-Jo Hwang is back from suspension. The 29-year-old found the net in the previous meeting between the two sides which ended as a 1-1 draw.
Highlighted Player (Alban Lafont):
Alban Lafont is a French goalkeeper who plays for Ligue 1 side Toulouse. Born in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Lafont joined AS Lattoise youth school at the age of nine and he stayed at the academy until 2014 when he moved to Toulouse.
The 193-cm-tall goalkeeper has established himself as a first-choice goalkeeper at Toulouse and it has to be noted that he made 36 appearances for the club in the 2016/2017 season, keeping 10 clean sheets in the process. Due to his dual citizenship, Alban Lafont is eligible to represent both Burkina Faso and France on international stage, but he has yet to play for the African team.
Alban Lafont represented les Tricolores at youth level and, no doubt, there is a bright future ahead of the talented shoot-stopper who was born on January 23, 1999. The rising star has a contract with Toulouse which expires on June 30, 2020.
Highlighted Team (Bordeaux):
Founded in 1881, Bordeaux are regarded as one of the oldest clubs in France. Les Girondins won their first Ligue 1 trophy in 1950 and 59 years later (2008/2009) they lifted their sixth domestic trophy.
Speaking of the club’s European success, Bordeaux did remarkably well to make it to the Champions League semi-finals in 1985, but despite recording a 2-0 win over star-studded Juventus in the return leg, the French club eventually failed to book their place in the final of the elite competition.
Famous French footballers Alain Giresse and Jean Tigana were part of the team back then and it has to be noted that Giresse is the player who made the most appearances for les Girondins (587). During the nineties Zinedine Zidane, Christophe Dugarry and Bixente Lizarazu played for Bordeaux and, taking everything into account, it is no surprise they are considered one of the most famous French clubs.
Nowadays Les Girondins welcome their rivals at Matmut Atlantique, the stadium which was opened in 2015 and they used to play at Stade Chaban-Delmas in the past.