Nantes v PSG – Spotlight on Nantes: Castro out to spark a revival | OneFootball

This Sunday, August 17, Paris Saint-Germain faces Nantes at the Stade de la Beaujoire (kick-off at 8:45 PM, broadcast on Ligue1+) during the first matchday of Ligue 1 2025-2026. And as before every match, here is a presentation of PSG’s opponent.

The Situation of Nantes –

A major club in the history of French football, FC Nantes has been struggling for several years. They have even come close to relegation to Ligue 2 several times, and the staff has been changed on numerous occasions. Not to mention very difficult transfer windows (including sanctions).

The latest coaching change saw Luis Castro arrive from Dunkerque to replace Antoine Kombouaré. The Portuguese coach faces the tough task of turning things around with a transfer window marked by austerity and risk-taking. Despite some significant departures, recruitment has been limited in spending and is mainly based on the idea of trying to revive players.

13th last season, with a 3-point lead over the relegation playoff spot, they are heading into a season that is far from simple.

The 2025 Summer Transfer Window –

Source: Transfermarkt.

Departures:

Arrivals:

Main Statistics –

This season, Nantes was among the 14th best attacks in the league with 39 goals scored (the first, PSG, had 92 and the last, Montpellier, had 23), and had the 13th best defense with 52 goals conceded (PSG had the best with 35 goals conceded and the last, Montpellier, had 79).

The top scorer for Nantes was Matthis Abline (22-year-old forward), with 9 goals, ranking 23rd in the league (the top scorer in Ligue 1 is Ousmane Dembélé with 21 goals). Moses Simon (29-year-old winger) was the top assist provider for Nantes with 10 assists, ranking 3rd in Ligue 1 (Rayan Cherki was first with 11 assists).

The Last 5 Matches of Nantes –

Only Nantes’ possession is indicated and Nantes’ shots are listed first (when data is available).

17/05/2025 (Ligue 1) – Nantes/Montpellier: 3-0 In 5-3-2. 44% possession. 18 shots including 6 on target versus 9 shots (0 on target).

12/07/2025 (friendly) – Nantes/Laval: 2-0. In 4-3-3.

19/07/2025 (Ligue 1) – Nantes/Guingamp: 1-2. In 4-3-3.

02/08/2025 (Ligue 1) – Angers/Nantes: 1-0. In 4-3-3.

09/08/2025 (Ligue 1) – Nantes/Paris FC: 2-3. In 4-3-3.

The Probable Lineup in 4-3-3.

Abline – Mohamed – Benhattab

Leroux – Coquelin – Lepenant

Cozza – Tati – Awaziem – Amian

Lopes

Nantes’ Style of Play.

At Dunkerque, coach Luis Castro implemented an ambitious style of play, with a desire to build from the back and string together passes, as well as pressing and playing high up the pitch after losing the ball. He even had his defensive line play the offside trap. We’ll have to see if he sticks to this philosophy at Nantes. It’s possible, but he will also need to adapt to the squad and their opponents.

There may be some adjustments against PSG, in particular. But it could be tempting to try to impose a high tempo and lots of duels, especially as the Parisians are lacking in preparation during this unusual summer.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.