Coupe de France: Nice vs. Nantes Preview, Odds, Prediction

The French Cup finals occur this weekend in Paris, when OGC Nice meets Nantes. The two sides have been without a trophy for a long time, and winning this one would significantly boost the fans and the club in general. Coupe de France carries a lot of significance in this country, which is why a victory here would be a historic milestone. When looking at the overall situation, Nice is the favorite, because it has more prominent names on its roster. But in the finals and matches with such a high significance, that really doesn’t have to count for anything.

Preview

OGC Nice (+105) eliminated PSG on its way up to here. They were better than the Saints in Paris, 0-1 in the earlier stages, creating a first-class sensation and getting into the position which could result in a trophy, in the end, the first one since 1997. That was when they won Coupe de France as well.

Christophe Galtier’s guys have won three of the previous four meetings, indicating that they are in solid shape, ahead of this important event. Nice’s games are usually interesting with a low number of goals – the most recent three saw one goal, while four of the latest five ended with just one side netting.

The problematic thing for Galtier are games on the road. Nice isn’t confident at all away from the French Riviera. Before last weekend’s triumph in Bordeaux, they couldn’t win in six straight outings.

Nantes (+260) and Antoine Kombouare are after a success that will bring back the glory to Nantes after 21 years. That was the last time this team played some notable role in the French football, winning the Ligue 1 title, their eighth in history.

The Canaries like to play open and efficient football lately. We saw at least four goals in each of their previous three contests, and those same clashes were with both teams scoring.

When looking further back in the past, six straight matches this unit played were with hits on both ends of the field. Unlike Nice, the Canaries have a different approach on the field, the one which is more attractive to the fans.

Latest News

Atal is out for Nice due to an undisclosed injury, while Claude-Maurice won’t play either as he struggles with a leg injury.

On the other side, the only unavailable player is Charles Traore.

Head to Head Games

Nice and Nantes met twice this season, and on both occasions, the team from the south of France was better. The first game took place in Nantes, and the hosts had more success, 0-2. The second was on January 14th, in Nice, where the home team again beat the rivals, 2-1.

Prediction

In our opinion, Nice is a better team. Not only that, they have a better head coach as well. Galtier won the title last year with Lilles, and that automatically puts him ahead of his counterpart on the other side. We expect a tough and defensive-minded game, and that is already an area in which Nice functions better. That is why we bet on their victory here.

Pick: Nice +105