Preview: Monaco Eye Bounce-Back Victory vs. Nantes

After losing the Trophée des Champions in heartbreaking fashion, AS Monaco will look for a bounce-back win on Friday night when they travel to Stade de la Beaujoire to face FC Nantes.

Last weekend, Monaco conceded a goal in stoppage time that allowed Paris Saint-Germain to win the Trophée des Champions. It wasn't an ideal scenario for Adi Hütter and his team to start 2025 by missing out on their first trophy opportunity of the year.

Monaco have struggled as of late, winning just two matches in their last six fixtures across all competitions. The team have also dealt with injuries as they're currently without Folarin Balogun, who suffered a shoulder injury.

Even with these issues, Les Rouge et Blanc are still third in the Ligue 1 McDonald's table and three points behind second-place Olympique de Marseille. Monaco are also in a qualifying position for the next phase of the UEFA Champions League and will face Stade de Reims in the Coupe de France Round of 32 next week.

As for Nantes, they're currently in a relegation battle as Antoine Kombouaré and his team sit 16th in the Ligue 1 McDonald's table and are coming off a 1-1 draw against LOSC Lille last weekend. The contest was also the first match for Anthony Lopes for Nantes and the veteran shot-stopper made two saves to help his new club secure a point.

Nantes are currently in the relegation playoff spot, but they trail Angers SCO and Saint-Étienne by one point, so a home victory over Monaco gives Les Canaris a chance to move into the safety zone should teams above them drop points.

Despite Nante's struggles this 2024-25 Ligue 1 McDonald's season, Hütter understands that even though their opponent is bottom of the league table, they can rise to the occasion when facing the top clubs in France's top flight.

"They have shown recently that they can face the biggest teams. Against Paris Saint-Germain, they managed to draw with only 15% possession. Congratulations to them! They repeated this performance against Lille by also getting a draw after a good performance."

"They have good stability and will welcome us at home with the desire to keep up their momentum. But for our part, it is important to show that we are back, and we obviously want to win this match."

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