Nantes vs Monaco

Stade de la Beaujoire is the venue as Nantes and Monaco go head-to-head in a lopsided Ligue 1 meeting. 

Nantes enjoyed an optimistic start to the new calendar year, holding European hopefuls Lille to a 1-1 away draw, yet failed to claw their way out of the relegation zone. Indeed, head coach Antoine Kombouaré is under imminent threat of being sacked amid Nantes’ disappointing run of just one win from their last 13 Ligue 1 outings (D5, L7). Despite languishing a point adrift of safety heading into this round, ‘Les Canaries’ can draw heart from beating Rennes 1-0 in their most recent home league fixture. As a result, Nantes could win back-to-back top-flight matches at the Stade de la Beaujoire for the first time since October 2023. Anything less would increase the likelihood of their first relegation to the second tier since 2013 and probably put the final nail in Kombouaré’s coffin.

On the other hand, Monaco succumbed to a heart-wrenching 1-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup final at the start of 2025. The same side thrashed them 4-2 in December. That’s part of Monaco’s two-game winless run in top-flight action (D1, L1), as they finished the calendar year in third in the Ligue 1 table. The upcoming trip to Nantes is a presentable opportunity for the club from the principality to return to winning ways, considering they’ve only lost one of their last 22 top-flight H2Hs (W15, D6). Adding to Monaco’s confidence, their traveling record looks promising, given they’ve suffered just three defeats across their previous 17 away league matches (W12, D2).