The hosts have scored two goals or more in five of their last seven competitive home matches, a perhaps unsurprising statistic considering ‘Les Canaries’ boast L1’s third-highest number of shots per home game (16).

Players to watch: Nantes’ top scorer Gabriel Boschilia has four goals in L1 so far. Meanwhile, St Etienne’s Wahbi Khazri has an impressive 12 league goals and one assist this campaign.

In a match with a particular emotional context, the first since the disappearance of Emiliano Sala, FC Nantes is looking for a defense before facing Saint-Etienne. Nicolas Pallois in the axis and Lucas Lima on the left are suspended and the anticipated interruption of the loans of the American Matt Miazga and the Senegalese Kara Mbodji, leave Vahid Halilhodzic with only one true rear center of trade, the Brazilian Diego Carlos. To set back a middle (Krhin), to ask Charles Traoré, who will in any case become tenured to occupy the position or to launch the young Thomas Basila, are the only eventualities offered to the FCN coach. For his part, Anthony Limbombe injured his training by tapping the ground (left ankle). Romanian goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu is still suffering from a back injury despite attending the Monday session. Both are uncertain. However, midfielder Samuel Moutoussamy (knee) is better and could make his return, as his only real forward, Kalifa Coulibaly, who served his suspension match.