Our prediction for this Ligue 1 match:
Following a 2-1 loss to Olympique Lyon, Lens will look to stay in the Champions League berth when they face Nantes on Matchday 24. Les Sang et Or failed to win the previous four league fixtures, but a victory over les Canaris could see them climb to the Champions League berth. Summer signing Lois Openda is widely expected to return to the starting XI, while all Claude Maurice, Fortes, Buksa, Said, Cabot, and Farinez have been struggling with injuries of late.
The visitors, on the other hand, aim to build on back-to-back wins over Ajaccio and Lorient. Nantes have been showing signs of improvement in recent weeks, but seeing that les Sang et Or want this win more than les Canaris, we predict that the hosts are going to pick up all three points from the match. Both Moses Simon and Quentin Merlin are sidelined with injuries for the visiting team.
Highlighted Player (Seko Fofana):
Born in Paris on May 7, 1995, Seko Fofana is a midfielder who plays for Serie A side Udinese. Fofana started his career at the youth teams of Paris FC and in 2010 he moved to Lorient. After spending four years at the club, the French footballer joined Premier League side Manchester City in the 2013/2014 season.
Despite being a Man City player from 2014 to 2016, Seko Fofana did not see any game action in the English top flight with the Citizens as he was immediately sent on loan to Fulham (2014/2015). He played for Bastia on loan in the 2015/2016 season as well and in the summer of 2016 he signed a five-year deal with Italian side Udinese.
You should know that Fofana scored five goals in 22 appearances for the Zebrette in the 2016/2017 Serie A campaign. His contract with the Serie A team should expire on June 30, 2022. Due to his dual citizenship the Udinese footballer is eligible to play for France and Ivory Coast at senior level.
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).