Preview: Monaco vs Nantes – prediction, team news, lineups

Nantes has a chance to temporarily move out of the Ligue 1 relegation zone with either a victory or a draw on Friday when they visit Stade Louis II to face Monaco on matchday 22.

After a goalless draw against arch-rivals Nice, the Principality club sits 10th in the table, seven places above La Maison Jaune, who were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Lyon in their most recent outing.

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Match preview

Monaco’s unpredictable season continued last week, as a convincing 4-0 win over Rennes was followed by a lackluster performance in the South of France.

Securing a spot in next season’s Champions League appears to be a distant prospect, with the team currently 11 points behind Marseille for a qualifying berth in the 2026-27 competition.

On a positive note, Sebastien Pocognoli’s squad has remained undefeated in their last three league fixtures, managing to keep clean sheets throughout this period.

Six of their eight domestic victories in the 2025-26 season have been achieved at their home ground in Monaco, and on Friday, they could secure consecutive home wins in this competition for the first time since August-September 2025 (when they recorded three).

Another clean sheet for them on matchday 22 would extend their longest run without conceding a goal in the top-flight since March-April 2021 (five games).

Les Monegasques boast an unbeaten record in their previous 11 Ligue 1 encounters against Nantes, winning 10 of those matches and scoring four or more goals on four occasions.

Unfortunately, proximity to victory offers no solace when the result goes against you, a reality La Maison Jaune has frequently faced throughout their campaign this year.

Ahmed Kantari’s side has suffered four consecutive defeats in league play, with three of these losses coming by a single goal margin.

Nevertheless, they have managed to collect maximum points in two of their last three competitive away games, including a 2-0 triumph at Marseille in early January.

This season, they have failed to score in four of their away fixtures in this competition and currently possess the third-lowest goal tally in the league (19).

Simultaneously, they risk enduring five straight top-flight losses for the first time this decade, having already matched their longest losing streak from the 2024-25 season (four matches).

Les Canaris have conceded a total of 18 goals in their last four meetings with Monaco, managing to secure only one point during that stretch.

Monaco Ligue 1 recent performance:

Monaco overall recent performance:

Nantes Ligue 1 recent performance:

Nantes overall recent performance:

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Team News

Knee injuries to Paul Pogba, Mohammed Salisu, Takumi Minamino, and Lukas Hradecky may once again sideline them from the Monaco squad, while Wout Faes’s participation remains uncertain due to an ankle sprain.

Kassoum Ouattara and Eric Dier are expected to miss this fixture because of calf strains, and Christian Mawissa continues to be unavailable with a sore hamstring.

For Nantes, a knock to Mauritanian midfielder Bahmed Deuff could keep him out of this match, while Deiver Machado might be forced to sit out with a hamstring problem.

Last week, Abakar Sylla, on loan from Strasbourg, made his club debut, coming on for Nicolas Cozza to play the final 19 minutes of the game.

Monaco’s projected starting XI:

Kohn; Teze, Zakaria, Kehrer; Vanderson, Camara, Coulibaly, Henrique; Akliouche, Golovin; Balogun

Nantes’s projected starting XI:

Lopes; Amian, Youssif, Cozza; Centonze, Coquelin, Lepenant, Tabibou; Cabella, Abline; Mohamed

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Our Prediction: Monaco 2-0 Nantes

Nantes’s defensive unit consistently appears to bring out Monaco’s finest form, and we anticipate the visiting team will present too many prime scoring opportunities in the Principality.

For comprehensive data analysis covering the most probable results, scorelines, and additional insights for this match, please click here.

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