Our prediction for this Ligue 1 match:
Troyes and Nantes take on each other at Stade de l’Aube on day 16 of the new Ligue 1 campaign. Troyes do not seem to be at the top of their game, with the team failing to win the last seven league fixtures, but, one thing is for sure, they are likely to stick to their attacking style of play. The good news for the hosts is that first-choice goalkeeper Gauthier Gallon is back from suspension, but forward Mama Balde is banned for the match.
Meanwhile, les Canaris aim to put an end to their four-game winless run, and seeing that they will go for a victory as well, we believe that there is a big value in betting on both teams to score. As for the away side, experienced defender Nicolas Pallois is back to the starting XI after serving his one-match ban in a 2-2 draw with Ajaccio.
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).