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 a two-match unbeaten run in Ligue 1, the team suffered a 2-4 defeat to Lyon in the last round. Notably, Le Havre has failed to keep a clean sheet in 14 consecutive matches in the French championship. However, the club's scoring streak in this tournament has extended to seven matches. Despite the loss in the previous Ligue 1 fixture, the team remains in 16th place in the standings, trailing the safe 15th spot by two points. Additionally, Le Havre's defense is among the most unreliable in the league, having conceded 55 goals, with only Saint-Étienne (57) and Montpellier (59) allowing more.
- Both teams scored in the last seven matches of the team in the French championship.
- At least three goals were scored in five of the last six encounters of the club in this tournament.
- Le Havre has lost seven of their last eight home matches in Ligue 1 (1 draw).
Predicted lineup for Le Havre (4-5-1)
Mathieu Gorgelin – Loic Nego, Gautier Lloris, Etienne Kinkoue, Timothee Pembele – Junior Mwanga, Abdoulaye Toure, Issa Soumare, Yassine Kechta, Josue Casimir – Andre 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. Nantes has now extended its uncompromising streak in Ligue 1 to seven games (3 wins, 4 losses). It is also noteworthy that in the last round, the team managed to break its run of conceding goals in the French top division, which lasted 11 matches. In the Ligue 1 standings, Antoine Kombouaré's side occupies 13th place, six points ahead of Le Havre.
- The team has scored in 11 of their last 14 Ligue 1 matches.
- Nantes has failed to win 10 of their last 11 away matches in the championship (4 draws, 6 losses).
- Both teams scored in eight of the last nine away matches of the Bretons in the French top division.
Predicted lineup for Nantes (4-3-3)
Anthony Lopes – Marcus Coco, Saidu Sow, Jean-Charles Castelletto, Nicolas Cozza – Douglas Augusto, Pedro Chirivella, Louis Leroux – Sorba Thomas, Mathis Abline, Moses Simon.
Defender Jean-Charles Castelletto will serve a two-match suspension and will not be available for 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%.
Match Prediction: Le Havre vs. Nantes
In the upcoming match, teams from the lower part of the standings, both with modest attacks, will face off. They are among the least productive clubs in the league, so a high-scoring game is unlikely. On the contrary, I believe the match will be low-scoring, considering its importance in the standings, as both clubs are relegation contenders.
The likelihood of a low-scoring affair 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 top flight, and in all three games, no more than two goals were scored. Moreover, in each of these encounters, at least one team failed to score.
Additionally, Le Havre and Nantes are 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 are not far behind, with an xG of 1.27, ranking them 15th. Therefore, I believe the most optimal betting option is: Total under 2.5 goals