Our prediction for this Ligue 1 match:
Following a boring goalless draw with Brest, Reims will be aiming to return to winning ways when they take on Nantes on Matchday 14. Reims are undefeated in the previous five league fixtures, and you should bear in mind that they managed to keep three clean sheets in the last four Ligue 1 games. Since les Rouges et Blancs are likely to rely on their solid defence against Nantes, yet another low-scoring affair is on the horizon.
Bradley Locko is banned for the match, while all Marshall Munetsi, Maxime Busi, Rafik Guitane, and Thomas Foket are sidelined with injuries. Les Canaris, on the other hand, head into the match following a 1-1 draw with Clermont. In their last meeting in the French top flight Nantes defeated Reims thanks to Moses Simon’s goal, and, taking everything into account, under 2.5 goals betting option should be considered. As for the visitors, goalkeeper Alban Lafont is back from suspension, while Kader Bamba remains on the sidelines through suspension.
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 (Nantes):
Founded on April 21, 1943 Nantes is a professional football club that compete in French Ligue 1. Les Canaris are considered one of the most famous French clubs and they had a lot of success during the sixties and the seventies. Nantes won their first Ligue 1 title in the 1964/1965 season and 36 years later (2000/2001) they clinched their eighth (last) domestic trophy.
Speaking of the club’s European success, les Canaris did well to make it to the Champions League semis in 1996, but Italian giants Juventus proved to be a big catch for the French outfit. Nantes welcome their rivals at La Beaujoire-Louis Fonteneau and the capacity of the stadium is 38.004.
The likes of Vahid Halilhodzic, Adel Selimi, Michel Der Zakarian, Viorel Moldovan, Mario Yepes, Marcel Desailly, Didier Deschamps, Claude Makelele, Christian Karembeu and Dimitri Payet are the notable footballers who played for the club in the past. Nantes are well known for their yellow jerseys and that is the reason why they are nicknamed the Canaries (les Canaris).