Monaco vs Nantes

The 2021/22 Ligue 1 season kicks off at the Stade Louis II as Monaco take on last season’s whipping boys Nantes.

Backed by midweek’s 2-0 first-leg win at Sparta Prague in their Champions League qualifying tie, Monaco will be looking to emulate that performance here. Monaco couldn’t ask for a better opponent to being the new Ligue 1 campaign than a Nantes side they have defeated in all seven previous H2Hs held in the French principality. Yet a volatile form down the final stretch of last season saw ‘Les Monégasques’ alternate between winning (2) and losing (2) across their closing four home games of 2020/21, though both defeats in that sequence came at the hands of eventual top-four sides. On the bright side, Niko Kovac’s men boasted a solid 66.67% win ratio in Ligue 1 fixtures they entered as favorites back in 2020/21, with only PSG enjoying a higher win-rate.

Meanwhile, Nantes had to overcome Toulouse in the relegation play-offs to preserve their top-flight status following a horrendous domestic campaign that saw them win just 23.68% of their Ligue 1 matches (W9, D13, L16). A frequent change of management has had a fair share in Nantes’ tumultuous form, though ‘Les Canaries’ recorded as many leagues wins in 11 games under current boss Antoine Kombouaré (W6) as they managed in their previous 35 all combined. Hoping to erase painful memories from last season, Nantes will be looking to hamper a four-game winless streak in the Ligue 1 openers (D1, L3). Even though they come into this Matchday 1 showdown as massive outsiders, the visitors can draw some confidence from winning their last four away Ligue 1 fixtures by an aggregate scoreline of 12-3, a 2-1 play-off victory over Toulouse included.