Having ceded their Coupe de France crown with a whimper, Nantes now turn their attention back to the Ligue 1 relegation dogfight for a six-pointer with Brest on Wednesday.
The two basement battlers can only be separated by goal difference after 32 games, appropriately both sitting on 32 points ahead of their showdown at the Stade Francis-Le Ble.
Match preview
© Reuters
Making a habit of winning one and then drawing one in Ligue 1 over the past few weeks, Brest have developed a resilient streak at just the right time under Eric Roy, but last week's draw with Ajaccio was undoubtedly two points dropped rather than one point gained.
The hosts were forced to see out the final 25 minutes with 10 men after substitute Yoann Touzghar was given a straight red card just four minutes after being introduced, but Les Pirates could not make their numerical advantage count in a drab goalless stalemate.
Brest's domination of the possession and shooting categories was for nought, and they remain below the dotted line in 17th place for the moment, albeit only behind Nantes and Strasbourg courtesy of their inferior goal difference.
Angers have already been consigned to their fate, Ajaccio and Troyes - who are 10 points behind Brest - should join them relatively soon, but a five-game unbeaten streak has Roy's men in with a fighting chance of prolonging their top-flight stay.
The hosts' two Ligue 1 home games in April ended in victory over Toulouse and Nice, and they have only failed to score once at the Stade Francis-Le Ble in 2023 so far, which does not spell optimism for a Nantes side who were torn apart at will in the Coupe de France final.
© Reuters
For all of their troubles staying afloat in the top flight this term, Nantes once again harnessed their knockout specialities in France's premier cup competition, defeating Lens and Lyon en route to the final for the second year running.
However, the 2021-22 champions reverted to the side that has been prevalent throughout the Ligue 1 season and were ripped to shreds by a merciless Toulouse side, who held a 4-0 lead by half time thanks to Logan Costa and Thijs Dallinga's braces.
A Ludovic Blas penalty would not inspire the most sensational turnaround, as Zakaria Aboukhlal added a fifth for Toulouse to snatch the crown out of Les Canaris' grasp, ending their hopes of bringing the curtain down on a troubled season with another piece of silverware.
Prior to their Stade de France thumping, Nantes' winless run in Ligue 1 stretched to nine games with a 2-2 draw against Troyes - the fourth top-flight game in a row in which Antoine Kombouare's men have conceded at least two goals - keeping them just above the drop zone in 16th place.
The form book may be against Nantes, but recent history is very much in their favour. Les Canaris thumped Brest 4-1 at the Stade de la Beaujoire in October and are now unbeaten in seven successive meetings with Les Pirates, who have not kept a clean sheet in this fixture since 1991.
Team News
© Reuters
Brest attacker Romain Del Castillo was an enforced withdrawal in the 71st minute of their draw with Ajaccio due to an ankle sprain, and while the 27-year-old's issue is not a serious one, he is classed as a doubt for the visit of Nantes.
Del Castillo had only been on the pitch for nine minutes as a substitute before swiftly being taken to the treatment room, but Franck Honorat could not complete training on Tuesday due to an Achilles concern, so the former may have a better chance of recovering for this one.
Karamoko Dembele remains sidelined with a similar concern, but right-back Kenny Lala will return from a one-game ban served last time out and could be a straight swap for Noah Fadiga, who is also a fresh injury doubt.
As for Nantes, one small positive for Kombouare from the Coupe de France final is that his players came away physically unscathed, leaving Pedro Chirivella alone on the sidelines with his season-ending groin injury.
Cup regular Remy Descamps was benched in favour of Alban Lafont for the final, and despite shipping five goals on the night, the latter should be in no danger of demotion to the dugout.
However, Kombouare will no doubt ponder a wave of alterations, with all of Andy Delort, Quentin Merlin and Samuel Moutoussamy in line for returns to the first XI.
Brest possible starting lineup:
Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Brassier, Duverne; Belkebla, Lees-Melou, Camara; Del Castillo, Mounie, Le Douaron
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Centonze, Castelletto, Girotto, Merlin; Blas, Sissoko, Moutoussamy, Simon; Delort, Mohamed
We say: Brest 2-1 Nantes
With Brest enjoying over a week's worth of rest, proving themselves to be a tough nut to crack and consistently finding the back of the net on home soil, Roy's side can end their hoodoo against a shell-shocked Nantes team.
A raft of changes from Kombouare should at least make Wednesday's fixture more competitive than their cup thumping, but the stage is surely set for Brest to rise above the dotted line, plunging Nantes into the relegation zone in the process.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
