Monaco vs Nantes – News and Probable Lineups

Nantes can temporarily escape the Ligue 1 relegation zone with at least a draw this Friday as they head to Stade Louis II for a fixture against Mônaco on matchday 22.

A 0-0 stalemate against their rivals Nice means the Principality club is positioned 10th in the standings, seven places ahead of La Maison Jaune, who were narrowly defeated 1-0 by Lyon in their last outing.

Match overview

The ups and downs for Mônaco continued last week as they followed a 4-0 victory over Rennes with a disappointing performance in the South of França.

Securing a return to the Champions League next season seems a distant goal, as they are 11 points behind Marseille for a qualifying spot in the 2026-27 competition.

On a positive note, Sebastien Pocognoli’s squad is undefeated in their last three league matches, with no goals conceded during that stretch.

Six out of their eight domestic wins in the 2025-26 season have been achieved on home soil, and on Friday, they aim for consecutive home victories in this league for the first time since August-September 2025 (three in a row).

Another clean sheet in matchday 22 would set a new record for them in the top flight without conceding, surpassing their previous stretch of five games from March-April 2021.

Les Monegasques have gone unbeaten in their last 11 Ligue 1 encounters against Nantes, winning 10 of those matches while scoring four or more goals in four instances.

Sadly, being close doesn’t count when it results in a loss, as La Maison Jaune has experienced throughout this season.

Ahmed Kantari’s squad has faced four straight defeats in league matches, with three of those ending by just a single goal.

However, two of their last three competitive away fixtures have seen the team earn full points, including a 2-0 triumph at Marseille in early January.

This season, they have failed to score away from home in four instances, ranking them third-lowest in goals across the league so far (19).

Simultaneously, they risk losing five consecutive top-flight encounters for the first time this decade, having already matched their longest losing streak in the league from 2024-25 (four matches).

Les Canaris have conceded a total of 18 goals in their last four matches against Mônaco, managing to gain only one point in that period.

Team News

Knee injuries to Paul Pogba, Mohammed Salisu, Takumi Minamino, and Lukas Hradecky may exclude them from the Mônaco lineup again, while Wout Faes is uncertain due to an ankle sprain.

Kassoum Ouattara and Eric Dier are likely to miss this match due to calf strains, with Christian Mawissa also sidelined due to a hamstring issue.

For Nantes, a knock to Bahmed Deuff could keep the Mauritânia midfielder out of this fixture, while Deiver Machado might also miss out because of a hamstring problem.

Abakar Sylla made his club debut last week, as the Strasbourg loanee took to the field for Nicolas Cozza in the final 19 minutes of that game.

Mônaco probable starting XI:

Kohn; Teze, Zakaria, Kehrer; Vanderson, Camara, Coulibaly, Henrique; Akliouche, Golovin; Balogun

Nantes probable starting XI:

Lopes; Amian, Youssif, Cozza; Centonze, Coquelin, Lepenant, Tabibou; Cabella, Abline; Mohamed

The Nantes defense has consistently proven challenging for Mônaco, and it seems the visitors may concede too many clear scoring chances in the Principality.