Matchday 1 of Ligue 1 between Nantes and PSG will take place on August 17 at the Beaujoire Stadium. Nantes vs. PSG: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Nantes
The Bretons finished 14th in the 2023/24 season and moved up to 13th in the last Ligue 1 campaign, both times fighting for survival. In the previous championship, Nantes achieved only 8 wins (12 draws, 14 losses), with only Montpellier, who finished last in the standings, having fewer (4). Notably, at home in the last Ligue 1 season, the club played much more cautiously, conceding 18 goals compared to 34 away. Nantes' home matches were the least productive in the tournament, averaging 2.2 goals per game. Additionally, the Bretons had a poor preseason, losing 4 out of 5 matches (1 win).
The team enters the new season with a new head coach, Portuguese Luis Castro, who replaced Antoine Kombouaré. Notable incoming transfers include defenders Uroš Radaković, Chidozie Awaziem, Korean midfielders Hong Hyun-seok, Kwon Hyuk-kyu, and forwards Youssef El Arabi, Maikel Lado, and Amadou Camara. Meanwhile, several key players have left the club: goalkeeper Alban Lafont, defenders Jean-Charles Castelletto, Nicolas Pallois, midfielders Douglas Augusto, Florent Mollet, Pedro Chirivella, and forward Moses Simon.
- Nantes have won with a handicap (+1.5) in their last 10 championship matches.
- The team has scored in 7 of their last 9 Ligue 1 matches.
- At least one opponent failed to score in 5 of the Bretons' last 6 home matches in this tournament.
Predicted lineup for Nantes (4-3-3)
Anthony Lopes – Tayllel Tati, Chidozie Awaziem, Kelvin Amian, Nicolas Cozza – Kwon Hyuk-kyu, Johann Lepenant, Louis Leroux – Yassine Benhattab, Bacheraba Guirassy, Mostafa Mohamed.
Head coach Luis Castro will not be on the bench due to a suspension. Forward Maikel Lado and defender Mathieu Akapandje are injured.
PSG
The Parisians had an outstanding last season, the most successful in the club's history. PSG won the Champions League for the first time, claimed the French Cup and Super Cup, and won Ligue 1 for the fourth consecutive time. Last Wednesday, the team added another trophy by defeating Tottenham 4-3 on penalties (2-2 regular time) in the UEFA Super Cup match. PSG dominated the last French championship, finishing 19 points ahead of their nearest rival in the standings. They were the best home and away team in the tournament, scored the most goals (92), and had the best defensive record (35 goals conceded). The Parisians did not play any preseason friendlies as they participated in the Club World Cup, reaching the final but losing 3-0 to Chelsea.
The team retained its winning squad from last season, with only goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma not being part of Luis Enrique's plans. The goalkeeper has already agreed to join Manchester City. There were few acquisitions, with notable arrivals being goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier from Lille and defender Illya Zabarnyi.
- Both teams scored in PSG's last 6 matches in the elite French division.
- At least 3 goals were scored in 10 of the club's last 12 Ligue 1 matches.
- PSG won 8 of their last 10 away championship matches (1 draw, 1 loss).
Predicted lineup for PSG (4-3-3)
Lucas Chevalier – Nuno Mendes, Willian Pacho, Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi – Désiré Doué, Vitinha, Warren Zaïre-Emery – Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola.
Midfielder João Neves will continue to serve a 2-match suspension.
Referee
Benoît Bastien (France)
Matches – 17 (Ligue 1, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 72;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.2;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 41%.
Match Prediction: Nantes vs. PSG
The hosts have significantly reshuffled their squad in the offseason, which will inevitably affect their cohesion. Additionally, Nantes has a new head coach, Luis Castro, who joined from Dunkirk after achieving a 4th place finish in Ligue 2 last season. Meanwhile, PSG has retained almost all their key players, who performed brilliantly last season. The Parisians have a cohesive squad and a strong bench capable of turning the tide of a match. This was demonstrated earlier this week in the UEFA Super Cup match, where PSG came back from 2 goals down with 5 minutes remaining in regular time.
Even though Luis Enrique is not yet satisfied with his players' form, PSG, even in their current state, is far superior to the "raw" Nantes. The Parisians perform excellently on the road in the championship, and last season they broke Milan's record for the longest unbeaten away streak in the history of the top 5 leagues, going 39 matches without a loss (30 wins, 9 draws). PSG also holds a significant advantage in recent head-to-head matches in the championship on Nantes' field, winning 10 of the last 12 encounters (1 draw, 2 losses), with 7 of those victories by a margin of at least 2 goals.
I expect the reigning champions to start with a confident victory, my prediction: PSG with a handicap (-1)
