Our prediction for this Ligue 1 match:
Buoyed by a historical 2-1 win over PSG in Paris, Nantes will be aiming to give fans yet another reason for celebration when they take on Lorient on Matchday 30. Les Canaris came from behind to shock the star-studded capital club, and, no doubt, they are brimming with confidence ahead of the visit of Lorient. Talented attacker Randal Kolo produced a brilliant display at Parc des Princes, meaning that the opposition defenders should have him at bay. All Sebastien Corchia, Dennis Appiah, and Fabio da Silva are sidelined with injuries for the hosts.
Les Merlus, on the other hand, continue with their habit of producing much better showings at home than on the travels, which is yet another reason why we are tempted to put our money on les Canaris. Lemoine is back from suspension for the visitors, but Paul Nardi has yet to serve his ban. All Diarra, Monconduit, Delaplace, Llori, Morel, Fontaine, and Saunier are all out of contention through injuries.
Highlighted Player (Anthony Limbombe):
A Belgian player of Congolese descent, Anthony Libombe is a versatile forward who is equally able to play as a winger. The talented 22-year-old began his career at Racing Genk in 2010, while he spent the last two years as a member of Dutch side NEC Nijmegen.
During a two-year spell in the Eredivisie, Anthony Limbombe made 65 league appearances for NEC scoring 21 goals during that time. Limbombe has been outstandingly impressive during the 2015-16 season when he scored 7 goals and notched 7 assists in the Eredivisie. Belgium international has long been linked with a move to English side Leeds, who followed him closely in Eredivisie, but Limbombe chose to return to Belgium in the summer of 2016 when he signed a deal with Club Brugge reportedly worth £2 million.
Anthony Limbombe is yet to make his competitive debut for his new side, but the club management has huge expectations from a young forward who could go on to be a huge revelation in the Champions League.
Highlighted Team (Lorient):
Founded back in 1926, Lorient is a French football club that competes in Ligue 1. Les Merlus have yet to win the Ligue 1 trophy, but they did well to go all the way in the Coupe de France in the 2001/02 season. In the title game, Lorient defeated Bastia thanks to Jean-Claude Darcheville’s goal.
The same season les Merlus made it to the Coupe de la Ligue final, but Bordeaux proved to be a big catch (0-3) for them in the title game. Lorient welcome their rivals at Stade du Moustoir, the stadium which can hold up to 16,392 spectators. The colour of the team’s home shirt is orange with a little black on it, while white is the dominant colour of their away jersey. In the 2002/03 season Lorient represented France in European competitions.
Les Merlus, though, failed to impress on their debut in the UEFA Cup as they were beaten by Denizlispor in the round 1 double-header.