It's been similar starts for AS Monaco and FC Nantes this season, each with 4 points to date. A draw on the first matchday, a victory on the second. The two teams, respectively third and sixth in Ligue 1, meet this Sunday at 17h at the Stade Louis-II as part of the third matchday of Ligue 1 Uber Eats, which will be marked by " Supporter des Soignants " launched by the LFP, with which AS Monacoeur and the club are working.

Little movement in the transfer window

Thirteenth in Ligue 1 last year, Nantes' directors were not the most active this summer -- only two new players have joined the club on the banks of the Erdre. Coming from Stade Brestois, Jean-Charles Castelletto is the first to have packed his bags for the Loire-Atlantique to strengthen the defense. The second player to arrive is the Spaniard Pedro Chirivella, arriving from Liverpool where he played 11 matches. FC Nantes have also exercised their option to buy on the player who traveled the most distance going forward with the ball at his feet in Ligue 1 last season (3,409 meters): Moses Simon. The striker scored 9 goals and delivered 8 assists in all competitions for the Canaries last year. Returning from a loan in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Randal Kolo Muani will also have a hand to play this season in improving the attack of Christian Gourcuff, the Nantes manager.

Draw in Bordeaux and victory against Nîmes

The yellow and green players most recently were in action for FC Nantes' victory against Nîmes Olympique. Ahead at half-time thanks to goals by Andrei Girotto and Imran Louza, Nantes experienced a more difficult second period with the sending-off of two players. Imran Louza and Fabio, who will therefore be suspended against AS Monaco this Sunday, having left their teammates with nine men. Nantes managed to hold on despite a consolation from Nîmes' Zinédine Ferhat. On the first matchday, Christian Gourcuff's men had conceded a 0-0 draw in the first game of the season in Ligue 1 Uber Eats, despite 70 minutes  with a man advantage.

Excerpts from the press conferences

Aleksandr and Youssouf will be absent, but that's part of the game, we saw it last night with Paris Saint-Germain's match and their seven absent players. We can adapt, but I think we have a squad rich enough to make up for their absences. Stevan Jovetic, Cesc Fabregas and Pietro Pellegri are back, we have enough options to replace them. At the moment we have some ideas for the composition of Sunday's squad but we still have 48 hours to make the right decisions.

Niko Kovac

Read Niko Kovac's complete press conference here.
In Monaco, we will have to repeat the same driven performance, offering the same cutting edge to our play we had against Nîmes.

Christian Gourcuff

 AS Monaco – FC Nantes, by the numbers

•95matches in Ligue 1, with a record of43wins,26draws and26losses (137 goals scored,110conceded)
• 47matches played at the Stade Louis-II in Ligue 1, with a record of31wins,9draws and7losses (91goals scored,53conceded)
•11wins for AS Monaco,1draw and1loss since 2013/2014. The Red and White goalkeepers have kept a clean sheet in9of these13matches.
•100%home record for AS Monaco since 2013/2014, including 4 clean sheets over the last 5 matches at Stade Louis-II against Les Canaris
•45%losing record for FC Nantes in their matches against Monaco in Ligue 1 (43/95), their highest losing percentage against an elite opponent in their history.
•4-0in the biggest win at home: with a double from Kylian Mbappé and goals from Valère Germain and Fabinho, AS Monaco scored their 79th, 80th, 81st and 82nd goals of the season. The Red and Whites would finish with 107, champions of France with 95 points.

See also