French Ligue 1 side Nantes welcome German Bundesliga outfit Freiburg to the Stade de la Beaujoire in the UEFA Europa League this Thursday.
The away team have made a stunning start to their season, as they are top of Group G in the Europa League and sit second in the Bundesliga table, above the likes of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. In our betting preview, we have the top Europa League stats and Nantes vs Freiburg best bets.
Nantes vs. SC Freiburg Information
Nantes finished ninth in Ligue 1 last season, booking their spot in the Europa League after winning the 2021-22 Coupe de France, beating Nice in the final. They have made a dreadful start to this campaign, however, losing half of their opening ten league fixtures to sit 19th in the table.
In contrast, Freiburg have been outstanding so far this season. Union Berlin are the surprise leaders of the Bundesliga, and the Breisgau Brazilians are just two points behind in second position. After nine matches played, Christian Streich’s troops are above both Bayern and Dortmund in the current Bundesliga table.
Freiburg are top of the Europa League standings in Group G after winning three out of three thus far. Along the way, the Germans have scored seven and shipped just one. Nantes have three points to their name, winning one and losing two of their opening three fixtures.
Last Game Records
Last week’s fixture at Europa-Park Stadion was the first-ever meeting between the two sides. Freiburg picked up an easy win, with second-half goals from Daniel-Kofi Kyereh and Vincenzo Grifo doing the business.
Can the German side move on to 12 points on Thursday? Below you will find the Nantes vs Freiburg best bets and Europa League predictions.
Nantes vs. SC Freiburg Analysis
Nantes
Nantes are in this season’s Europa League after winning the French Cup last term. The Canaries also had a pretty decent 2021-22 league campaign, picking up 15 wins, ten draws and suffering 13 defeats to finish in ninth.
Nantes have struggled to cope with the rigors of European and domestic soccer this season, though, as they have already been beaten five times in Ligue 1. Antoine Kombouare’s men currently languish in 19th with just seven points to their name. Since beating Olympiacos in the Europa League, they have lost five and drawn one of six league and cup fixtures.
Nantes kicked off their Group G campaign with a big three points. Evann Guessand scored in the 93rd minute to give the Ligue 1 side a 2-1 home victory over Greek outfit Olympiacos.
However, they have crashed to back-to-back defeats since, losing at Qarabag and Freiburg without scoring. Two of their last three games on their Europa League schedule are at the Stade de la Beaujoire, and Kombouare’s boys must make home advantage count.
SC Freiburg
Along with Union Berlin, Freiburg have been the surprise package in the Bundesliga so far this season. There were positive signs when they finished sixth last term to secure a Europa League spot, but the club from Baden-Wurttemberg in Germany have stepped it up a notch this season.
Streich’s side sit pretty in second in the Bundesliga right now, collecting 18 points from nine games. They have won five, drawn three, and lost just once thus far. Freiburg have an incredible record this term, picking up an impressive nine wins from 13 league and cup matches. Since a 3-1 league loss to Dortmund back in August, they are unbeaten in ten (seven wins, three draws).
Freiburg are well on their way to the knockout stages of the Europa League after picking up three wins out of three. Before easing past Nantes last week, the Germans started with a 2-1 home victory over Qarabag and a 3-0 away win at Olympiacos. Freiburg will fancy their chances of making it four wins on the trot in Group G, and we hunt down the Nantes vs Freiburg best bets.
Nantes vs. SC Freiburg Odds Breakdown
Nantes are in desperate need of a victory right now after failing to win in six, suffering five losses along the way. However, the home side are the underdogs in this one. At the time of writing, you can get the big Europa League odds of +300 for the home team to secure a surprise success.
Freiburg are flying right now, and the Bundesliga side head to France as the bookies’ favorites at evens. The draw is priced at +250.
Nantes vs. SC Freiburg Betting Pick and Prediction
Nantes have endured a miserable season so far, and things could get even tougher for the French team on Thursday. Freiburg are in red-hot form, and we fancy the away side to chalk up another three points in Europa League Group G.
Nantes held their own in the first half at Europa-Park Stadion last week, but Kyereh’s goal just after the break paved the way for Freiburg’s 2-0 victory. We can see the Bundesliga high-flyers stopping the home team from scoring again.
Put some money on Freiburg to win to nil at the solid price of +240. A repeat 2-0 scoreline at the big Europa League odds of +1800 has also caught the eye.