Preview: Angers vs. Nantes - prediction, team news, lineups

Angers will host Nantes in Ligue 1 on Sunday looking to continue their impressive start to the Ligue 1 campaign, which sees them occupying second place before matchday six begins.

Nantes are seven points worse off than their opponents, and they are looking for their second league win of the season.

Match preview

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Angers are unbeaten this campaign, and their first five fixtures have resulted in three wins and two draws, which has elevated them to the upper echelons of the table.

They experienced their second stalemate of the campaign in their previous Ligue 1 game against Brest, which ended in a 1-1 draw after Anger's Thomas Mangani's scored from the spot, to cancel out Romain Faivre's opener, which also came via a penalty.

Angers have been excellent in their first two home league games this season, which resulted in comfortable victories over Lyon and Rennes, and they are yet to concede at home this term.

Another key aspect of Angers success is that they have not had to rely on one single goalscorer, and their nine league goals this season have come courtesy of seven different scorers, with Sofiane Boufal the only player to score twice this season.

The hosts will be seeking to put right a 3-1 defeat they suffered at home to Nantes last season, but having scored nine goals and only conceding two this campaign they will be confident they are a different team to the one that featured in that fixture.

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Nantes are seeking to avoid a repeat of last term's relegation play off finish and will be hoping for a more comfortable season, although their start has not been blistering and they head into Sunday's fixture in the midst of a three-game losing run.

Their first five Ligue 1 matches has only yielded a solitary victory, and their four points this campaign came from the opening two matchdays.

Nantes' only win this term came at home to Metz, which means they are still searching for their first away victory of the season.

Furthermore, their two away fixtures did include a well-earned draw in the principality after Jean-Charles Castelletto managed to grab an equaliser against Monaco, but they did lose in their next away game, succumbing to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Rennes.

Positively, their defence has been fairly impressive, with Nantes only conceding five goals this season, but in the final third they have had their difficulties - scoring only three times this term.

Team News

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Angers have no injury concerns after Enzo Ebosse returned last week to feature as a second-half substitute against Brest.

Therefore, Gerald Baticle is likely to name the starting same lineup that started last Sunday in a bid to continue the hosts' exceptional start to the season.

Nantes are likely to be without Anthony Limbombe, who is nursing a hamstring problem.

Antoine Kombouare is hoping to have Dennis Appiah and Quentin Merlin back in the squad, but it remains to be seen if they are fit enough to be included against Angers.

Willem Geubbels could be involved on Sunday, and it could be the first time the 20-year-old appears for his new club since arriving on loan from Monaco.

After featuring as substitutes last weekend, Kalifa Coulibaly and Wylan Cyprien could make their first starts for the club this Sunday.

Angers possible starting lineup:
Bernardoni; Manceau, Thomas, Traore; Cabot, Mangani, Mendy, Doumbia, Fulgini; Cho, Boufal

Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Corchia, Castelletto, Pallois, Fabio; Girotto, Cyprien, Blas; Coulibaly, Simon, Kolo Muani

We say: Angers 2-0 Nantes

Angers have been in sublime form this season and that is unlikely to change against Nantes, who are entering the fixture off the back of losing their last three games.

There is potential for this one to be fairly comfortable for the home side, who are yet to concede at home this season, and facing a side who have only scored three goals this campaign should mean that Angers win this contest.