The Matchday 27 clash in Ligue 1 between Le Havre and Nantes will take place on March 30 at the Stade Océane. Le Havre vs. Nantes: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Le Havre
After going two matches unbeaten in Ligue 1, the team suffered a 2-4 defeat against Lyon in the last round. Notably, Le Havre has failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 14 consecutive matches in the French championship. However, their scoring streak in this tournament has extended to seven matches. Despite the loss in the previous Ligue 1 game, the team remains in 16th place in the standings, trailing the safe 15th spot by two points. It's worth mentioning that Le Havre's defense is among the most unreliable in the league, conceding 55 goals, with only Saint-Étienne (57) and Montpellier (59) allowing more.
- Both teams scored in the last 7 matches of the team in the French championship.
- At least 3 goals were scored in 5 of the last 6 matches of the club in this tournament.
- Le Havre has lost 7 of their last 8 home matches in Ligue 1 (1 draw).
Predicted lineup for Le Havre (4-5-1)
Mathieu Gorgelin – Loïc Négo, Gautier Lloris, Etienne Kinkoue, Timothée Pembélé – Junior Mwanga, Abdoulaye Touré, Issa Soumaré, Yassine Kechta, Josué Casimir – André Ayew.
Head coach Didier Digard will not be able to lead the team from the bench due to suspension.
Nantes
The club ended a two-match streak of goalless defeats in the championship by defeating Lille 1-0 in the previous tournament match. Their uncompromising series in Ligue 1 has now reached seven matches (3 wins, 4 losses). It's also worth noting that in the last round, the team managed to end their streak of conceding goals in the French top division, which spanned 11 matches. In the Ligue 1 standings, Antoine Kombouaré's side occupies 13th place, leading Le Havre by six points.
- The team scored in 11 of their last 14 Ligue 1 matches.
- Nantes failed to win in 10 of their last 11 away matches in the championship (4 draws, 6 losses).
- Both teams scored in 8 of Nantes' last 9 away matches in the French top division.
Predicted lineup for Nantes (4-3-3)
Anthony Lopes – Marcus Coco, Saïdou Sow, Jean-Charles Castelletto, Nicolas Cozza – Douglas Augusto, Pedro Chirivella, Louis Leroux – Sorba Thomas, Matthis Abline, Moses Simon.
Defender Jean-Charles Castelletto will serve a two-match suspension and will not help the team in this match.
Referee
Eric Wattellier (France)
Matches – 12 (Ligue 1, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 38;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.2;
Red cards shown – 3;
Average fouls per match – 21;
Penalties – 8%.
Le Havre vs. Nantes: Match Prediction
In the upcoming match, teams from the lower part of the standings will face off, both possessing modest attacks, ranking among the least prolific clubs in the league. Therefore, it's unlikely to expect a thrilling game with many goals. On the contrary, I believe the match will be low-scoring, especially given its importance in the standings, as both clubs are candidates for relegation.
The likelihood of a match lacking goals is further supported by statistics. The upcoming opponents have played three head-to-head matches in Ligue 1 since Le Havre's promotion to the French football elite, and in all three games, no more than two goals were scored. In each of these encounters, at least one team left the field without scoring.
Additionally, both Le Havre and Nantes rank among the worst clubs in the current championship in terms of expected goals, with the hosts at the bottom of this list, averaging 1.14 xG per match. The visitors aren't far ahead in this ranking, with a figure of 1.27 xG, placing them 15th. Therefore, I consider the most optimal betting option to be: Total under 2.5 goals
* The starting lineup for each team is based on their previous match in this tournament.
