Montpellier vs Nantes Prediction: Nantes without another rabbit trick?

The next Round 3 in Ligue 1 moves to France, where Montpellier hosts Nantes, with both teams definitely off to a different kickoff of their seasons. Montpellier comes into this after having gone through the far-from-pleasant experience of a 6-0 defeat at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, which will have definitely hit them in terms of morale and disposition. Nantes, on the other hand, got a well-deserved victory against Auxerre with a score of 2-0 and faces this match in great form.

That was after they had been trounced 6-0 by Paris Saint-Germain, and that of course only went on to expose colossal defensive fragilities. This defeat is but part of a concerning trend for Montpellier—a team with defensive struggles since the dawn of this campaign. Maybe this loss will let the team reflect on its way of playing or lean to a more defensive profile so that something similar would not happen again.

They will, therefore, play with more caution following the spanking in the last game. Their defense will most probably stand firm and deny Nantes any room to breathe. Their midfield will be much quicker to break play and hence upsetting Nantes' pattern; they will certainly forward the ball very quickly.

Nantes come for the encounter full of life after their 2-0 win away to Auxerre. They will head out to try and do more of the same at Montpellier, where they were able to demonstrate great defensive self-control coupled with breaking attacks. Indeed, they set themselves on a genuinely promising start to their campaign.

Nantes, buoyed by their weekend victory, will probably err on the side of retention this weekend. Defensively, they may drop deep and encourage Montpellier in order to open the field and exploit spaces therein with transitions. His midfield will control tempos with turnovers and switch gears for quick, direct counter-attacks.

Montpellier against Nantes has been a tight affair between the two. There is a tradition of these games having very low scores, as both sides frequently come out looking for ways to tighten up the back. Indeed, neither could hold sway over the other in their last five, which featured a mix of draws and slender wins either way. Point to all this, one that's going to be really tight.

In the form of both teams, Nantes clearly has a psychological edge over their opponents. Montpellier's defensive troubles seem to be put perfectly into the radar by that heavy defeat to PSG; they made them look vulnerable, especially to a side well-organized in defense and potent on the break. It should not be hard for Nantes to exploit Montpellier's fragile defense, but it still should end up as closely contested as recent head-to-heads would predict.

Montpellier, then, need to get their act together quickly to prevent another miserable result. With that recent form and tactical discipline, it might be Nantes who benefit most from Montpellier's recent weaknesses. One goal may be enough to win this game; in that case, the big advantage would be for Nantes.

• Both Teams to Score No at 1.99 Odds
• Under 2.5 Goals at 1.882 Odds
• Over 8 Corners at 1.6 Odds