Montpellier vs Nantes Prediction & Betting Tips (31 August)

Maintained without too many problems in the elite last season, Montpellier took 12th place in the Ligue 1 standings with a fairly comfortable lead of 12 units over the play-off team from Metz. A priori, the Hérault club does not really seem to have the cards in hand to shake up the hierarchy and it should undoubtedly be content once again to stay a good distance from the relegation zone. Held in failure from the start by Strasbourg during the 1st day 1-1, the Paillade players on the other hand had a real nightmare last Friday on the lawn of the Parc des Princes where they displayed quite serious reasons for concern 6 -0.Nantes, for its part, had a slightly more difficult season than its opponent last season.

As is often the case in recent years, the Loire club has had to fight to the end to maintain its place in the elite, often weighed down by recurring sporting instability. Still under the orders of Antoine Kombouaré, recalled last winter to replace Jocelyn Gourvennec, the Canaries on the other hand negotiated their first meetings of the season rather well. After being able to bring back a good point from the Toulouse Stadium 0-0, they offered themselves victory against a poorly paid Auxerre team last weekend 2-0.

Several relatively important elements left the MHSC during the summer transfer window. This is the case of full-back Hefti (Genoa, return from loan), winger Karamoh (Torino, return from loan), potentially starting midfielder Leroy (FC Basel) and the relatively little-used Sacha Delaye (Lustenau, 9 appearances in L1 last year). In financial difficulty, the Héraultais only brought in midfielder Nzingoula (18 years old), on loan from Strasbourg. The main star of this team remains its captain Teji Savanier, who scored 9 goals and provided 6 assists last year. He also scored his team's only goal this season, from the penalty spot. The Nigerian Adams (8 goals), the Jordanian Al-Tamari (5 goals, 2 assists) and the formidable Arnaud Nordin (5 goals, 3 assists) are also still present. Absent during the trip to the Park, the titular central defender Jullien and the relatively important Mincarelli, Sainte-Luce, Sylla and Fayad should once again forfeit this poster.

Nantes, for its part, wanted to permanently recruit the promising Abline (Rennes) and striker Kadewere (Lyon). They were joined by other reinforcements such as Welsh winger Sorba Thomas (Huddersfield), midfielder Lepenant (Lyon), while Gbamin (Dunkirk) arrived this week. On the other hand, the former French international Sissoko (Watford), the young nugget Meupiyou (Wolves), the midfielder Moutoussamy (free) and the winger Bamba (free) were landed while the Swiss defender Cömert (Valence), the full-back Cozza (Wolfsburg) and Ivorian striker Traoré (Sheffield United) returned to their respective clubs. Egyptian striker Mohamed (8 goals last year) could also be poached. The Nigerian twirler Moses Simon (3 goals, 5 assists last year) is very present, he who unlocked his counter last week, imitated a few minutes later by the young Guirassy. A priori, the usual starters Mollet and Centonze, who will not play again for months, the replacement Mahamoud and the long-term absentee Ganago, will not go to Mosson