- Le Mans FC are unbeaten in three matches, with a 3-0 home win against Annecy FC following two draws against Guingamp and Red Star.
- Le Mans FC sit third in Ligue 2 with 44 points from 26 games, and AS Nancy Lorraine are 15th with 27 points after 26 rounds.
AS Nancy Lorraine (Home)
- AS Nancy Lorraine have won just four of their last 13 Ligue 2 home games, drawing two and losing seven.
- Pablo Correa’s men have scored just nine goals in 13 home matches this term and they will have to improve that output if they’re to get a result against a solid Le Mans FC side on Friday.
- Nancy set up in a narrow 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1 formation and are a typically disciplined, compact side that will try to control the midfield and release their attackers in transition.
- Nicolas Saint-Ruf is Nancy’s most reliable finisher, with four goals in 20 Ligue 2 appearances this season, providing a strong physical presence in the front line.
- Nancy have drawn 0-0 at home to Grenoble and were beaten 0-3 at home by Montpellier in their last three outings.
Le Mans FC (Away)
- Le Mans FC are in fine form under Patrick Videira, who has made the visitors flexible and balanced in their approach, which was reflected in their most recent result - a 3-0 victory at home to Annecy FC last time out.
- Videira’s side can set up with a five-man defense and look to absorb pressure, but they can also switch to a more expansive 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 system that allows their more technical players to express themselves and play a possession-based game.
- Le Mans FC’s overall road record in Ligue 2 this season is four wins, six draws and just two losses in 12 matches.
- Videira’s men have averaged 1.58 goals per game on their travels and conceded an average of 1.42 goals per away game.
- Dame Gueye has been Le Mans FC’s danger man in the final third this term, scoring seven Ligue 2 goals in 26 appearances, but Antoine Rabillard has provided more of a creative spark in recent weeks, registering three assists in his last five matches.
Head-to-Head
Across their last 5 meetings in all competitions Le Mans FC have the edge with 3 wins to Nancy's 2 , and Le Mans FC won 4-1 the last time they met in the cup eight weeks ago.
Key Players
- Le Mans FC
- Dame Gueye has been Le Mans FC’s danger man in the final third this term, scoring seven Ligue 2 goals in 26 appearances.
- Antoine Rabillard has provided more of a creative spark in recent weeks, registering three assists in his last five matches.
- AS Nancy Lorraine
- Nicolas Saint-Ruf is Nancy’s most reliable finisher, with four goals in 20 Ligue 2 appearances this season.
Betting Insights
- Le Mans FC to win at 2.71, ‘Over 2.5 goals’ at 2.15 and ‘Both teams to score - Yes’ at 1.84 are the main selections for this match.
- Le Mans FC have averaged 1.58 goals scored and 1.42 goals conceded on the road this campaign, while Nancy have scored 9 goals in 13 home matches.
Prediction
- Le Mans FC are the superior side according to the league table, and dominated their hosts in the Coupe de France just eight weeks ago and have the better form coming into this matchup.
- However, Nancy will look to disrupt Le Mans FC’s structure and try to catch them in transition on Friday, so this tactical clash promises to be a chess match.
- All signs point to this being a close match, but the visitors have the quality to edge a victory.
