Strasbourg vs Nantes Prediction: Teams must break the total

Strasbourg and Nantes have only picked up one win between them after four rounds of Ligue 1, and their encounter will be a very fundamental battle for 3 points. Can we expect to see more goals in this match-up?

The start of the season for Strasbourg can be divided into two halves: first, the team met with clubs that could claim to be in the top-5 (Nice, Monaco), and then there were weaker opponents (Auxerre, Reims). The results of the two halves were symmetrical. In total, Strasbourg picked up just two points, and now they are only 16th in the table, although they struggled to qualify for the European competitions last season. The club's failings are also striking because they have retained its core backbone, including Ludovic Ajorque, Habib Diallo, and Kevin Gameiro. There are also bright newcomers like Ronael Pierre-Gabriel and Colin Dagba; at the very least, Strasbourg are bound to be a solid mid-table side. Dagba is still injured, and key defender Lucas Perrin dropped out the day before. Karol Fila, Gerzino Nyamsi, and Ibrahima Sissoko will not be available to play against Nantes, while defender Maxime Le Marchand is also doubtful.

In the last round of the French championship, Julien Stephan's charges lost away to Auxerre 0-1. The meeting was rich in scoring chances, with both sides scoring more goals. For example, on 85 minutes, Gameiro could have fired the ball into the Burgundian net but failed to hit the ball over the middle. Strasbourg took twice as many shots as their opponents (14 against 7), hitting the crossbar four times.

The Canaries, after last season's success, when they won the Cup and finished 9th in the championship, are still a bit slippery, although you can't tell much from the game. Nantes are 4th in Ligue 1 in xG, behind only Monaco, Lens, and PSG, but their performances have been lackluster. Nevertheless, 5 points from four rounds is by no means the worst result, with the team currently sitting in 11th place in the table. That said, Nantes still have room for reinforcements: Moussa Sissoko did not make his Ligue 1 debut for the Canaries due to injury, and he is also unlikely to play against Strasbourg. In addition to Sissoko, Charles Traore is also out injured.

Nantes had the potential to score against Marseille but lost 1-2 due to poor goalscoring. The recent encounter with Toulouse did not start well, but Antoine Koumbouaré's charges showed their character and netted three goals in the third half. The result was 3-1 in favor of the Canaries. Before the break, Nantes could take the lead or restore balance. For example, in one of the episodes, the ball hit the crossbar. The team took 16 shots on target, hitting the bar eight times, so the statistics only confirm Nantes' superiority. In the end, though, the opponents almost revived the intrigue, but in the end, Ado Onaiwu missed the shot.

In their last seven head-to-head encounters, Strasbourg have beaten Nantes 5 times, suffering only one defeat. The last meeting ended in favor of the Blue-and-Whites 1-0. The Canaries also had some good chances to score, although Strasbourg were capable of scoring 2 or 3 goals. For example, in one of the episodes, Nantes' defender knocked the ball off the goal line after a strike by Ludovic Ajorque, which happened in the 1st half.

• Strasbourg have won 4 victories in 10 home games;
• Nantes have won 3 of their last 10 away matches and suffered 4 defeats;
• Strasbourg have conceded at least one goal in 9 of their last 10 games.

The problem of both teams in the championship is the realization of chances, while the creativity is fine with both Strasbourg and Nantes. The home side's defense is poor, and they could well concede 2 - 3 goals from Reims in the previous fixture. Injuries also hinder Strasbourg, and the visitors can take advantage of that. Nantes don't sit back and defend, and they causeв a lot of trouble for Marseille, so the visitors can even count on a win. The Canaries are more stable in terms of play, and their results are better. I propose to bet on the following results:

• Total Over 2.5 goals for 1.96;
• W2 for 4.20;
• Correct score 2:3 for 36.0.