Nantes vs Metz
Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
Sunday, 22-11-2020 @3pm
Nantes come into this game in 14th and whilst their form has picked up before the international break they remain an inconsistent team. The club have lost 3 of their last 5 games but have won 2 of their last three.
Nantes last game ended in victory though when they overcame Lorient away from home to win 2-0 and the club are 3 points from the bottom. They could move up a couple of places depending on other results this weekend.
Nantes would have remained unbeaten at home this season however in their last game at home they lost 3-0 to PSG. A defeat like this may have been expected and the fans will be demanding that the club can get back to winning ways.
Metz are in 10th place and are four points ahead of Nantes. With a win they could enter into the top 7 and their recent form is very good with no defeats in their last 5 games. Their last game before the break ended in a 1-1 draw v Dijon and away from home they have gone their last 3 games unbeaten after a terrible start.
Last season this fixture ended 0-0. The last 5 league meetings have ended under 2.5 goals. Metz have only beaten Nantes away from home once in the last 15 years which happened back in 2016.
Dijon vs Lens
Stade Gaston-Gerard, Dijon
Sunday, 22-11-2020 @5pm
Dijon are bottom of the league after 10 games with just 4 points and they will be searching for their first win of the season when they play Lens at home.
Dijon have lost 60% of their games and have drawn the other four and their last match before the international break saw them draw 1-1 with in form Metz. Indeed Dijon have been improving lately and have drawn 3 of their last four games. If Strasbourg lose at the weekend and Dijon can find victory here they would go into 19th place.
Even though the home side are looking for their first win, they do remain undefeated at home for their last 3 games. And the club have drawn against some quality teams like Rennes and Montpellier.
Lens are in 11th place but are only 5 points behind 2nd, although their good form has suffered a little lately and they only have one win in their last four games. Lens last match was a classic that ended in an incredible 4-4 draw against Reims and away from home they have lost 50% of their games.
The clubs have not met each other here since 2015 when Dijon beat Lens 2-0. 5 of their last six meetings has saw both teams to score. The clubs have only played each other four times when Dijon have been at home in the past 12 years and Lens have no victories.
Montpellier vs Strasbourg
Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier
Sunday, 22-11-2020 @5pm
Here are two teams who are really in need of a win and one of them will be hoping to get just that on Sunday.
Montpellier will feel that they have the advantage before a ball is kicked being the home side and they come into this match in seventh place. The good news for the club is that after a poor run they did manage to win back to back games before the international break.
However the break could have been a bad thing for Montpellier who would have wanted the season to have continued if they had started a good run. Their last game was a 2-0 win over Bordeaux.
Strasbourg could go bottom if Dijon win and they come into this game having lost their last two in a row. Their last loss was against Marseille although that game only finished in a 1-0 defeat.
There is no denying though have poor the club have been and Strasbourg have lost 80% of their matches so far. On the road the club have lost 4 of their five games so far and are conceding on average 2 goals per game.
Last season Montpellier won this fixture 3-0. 4 from the last six Ligue 1 games have finished under 2.5 goals. Strasbourg have no wins at Montpellier in the last 15 years.
Reims vs Nimes
Stade Auguste-Delaune, Reims
Sunday, 22-11-2020 @5pm
Reims had started the season as if they were determined to be playing Ligue 2 football next season. However before the break the club got their act together and have improved greatly.
This improvement has seen Reims go their last 3 games undefeated and their last result ended in a classic 4-4 draw at Lens. Reims are in 16th place after their slow start but on recent form the club would be in seventh.
At home Reims have the 2nd to worst record in Ligue 1 earning just 3 points from a possible 12. The good news is that they won their last home game this came against Strasbourg in a 2-1 victory.
Nimes are in 18th placed and need the win and they would go 2 points above Reims with victory. The problem Nimes have is that they have lost their last 4 games in a row. This of course happened before the international break, and now it is about starting with a clean slate and trying to move on again. This has to be the objective for the club.
Last season, this fixture ended 0-0. In the last 10 meetings Reims have just 1 victory over Nimes.
Angers vs Olympique Lyon
Stade Raymond Kopa, Angers
Sunday, 22-11-2020 @7pm
Angers have started the season well and they already have 16 points and even though they are in 9th place they are only 3 points behind Lille in 2nd so there is all to play for.
Home form has been a little inconsistent for the club and they lost their last game here 3-0 against Metz but overall they have just that one defeat in their last four and will push this season to earn the bulk of their points at home.
Recent form has seen the club earn 7 points from their last 15 so they could do better but they still seem to be punching above their weight, though the game at the weekend will be very tough for them.
Lyon are in 5th place and after a slow start their form has really picked up and they have 17 points. A win here and other results going their way could see the team climb up to 2nd or 3rd.
The worry for Lyon is that they need to keep on winning because PSG have already pulled 7 points clear of them.
Lyon have been very strong in the past month though and have gained 11 points from their last 15. Playing away has not been great for the club though who have drawn 60% of their games on the road, their last away game ended in a 1-1 draw with Lille which was seen as a good result.
The last time the teams met at this stadium the game finished 2-1 to Lyon. Lyon have won the last 3 meetings in a row. It has been 9 matches since Angers have beaten Lyon in the league.
Lille vs Lorient
Stade Pierre-Maurou, Villenueva-d’Ascq
Sunday, 22-11-2020 @11pm
The Sunday evening game will see Lille who have impressed so far against the newly promoted Lorient who have caused some upsets.
Lille come into this game in 2nd place and there is no chance of going top this weekend as they are 5 points behind league leaders PSG. Whilst Lille have been solid they have also gone their last three games without a win.
That trend will be worrying for the home side after such a good start. At home Lille are unbeaten though and have the 3rd best home record in the league. They have also only conceded 2 goals so far and have a mean defence set up in their own stadium.
Lorient have had some good results but have been quite naive at the back and their inexperience in the top flight is telling already. They are down in 17th place and only goal difference is keeping them from being in the relegation zone.
It’s no wins in their last three games and Lorient have lost 60% of their matches so far. Away from home Lorient have lost 3 games from five but the good news is that they are unbeaten in their last two trips.
The clubs last played here in 2017 when Lorient won 1-0.Lorient have won the last 2 meetings between the teams.
Ligue One recent results
Friday, 20-11-2020
-Rennes 0-1 Bordeaaux
-Monaco 3-2 PSG
Saturday, 21-11-2020
-Brest 4-1 Saint Etienne
-Olympique Marseille pp Nice
