Mostafa Mohamed is back in contention for the nascent FC Nantes having served a two-game suspension ahead of their meeting with last season's runners-up RC Lens on Saturday.
RC Lens - FC Nantes
- Kick-off: 19:00 GMT
>> LIVE SCORING, STATS & COMMENTARY
Only Kylian Mbappé has outscored Mohamed this season, the Paris Saint-Germain superstar hitting eight Ligue 1 Uber Eats goals to the Egyptian's five - but the last of those was scored more than a month ago when Nantes beat FC Lorient 5-3.
Mohamed was sent off in the very next game - a 3-1 loss to their more established Breton rivals Stade Rennais FC - meaning he has missed the last two matches, which were victories over RC Strasbourg Alsace (2-1) and Montpellier Hérault SC (2-0).
Strength in depth
Those four goals were scored by four different players, and the Rennes blemish aside Nantes have won four of their last five games, lifting them up to seventh in the table, just a single point off the European places. Pierre Aristouy is understandably upbeat.
Watch: Highlights of Nantes' 2-0 win over Montpellier
"We're on a good run," he said recently. "We brought in quite a few players from the academy to have a substantial squad and continue working on what we've been doing since the start of the season. Youngsters have been involved. Many [senior] players were missing, but we didn't change anything [tactically]."
Fabien Centonze and Ignatius Ganago are back after hamstring and muscular injuries respectively, meaning Nantes have a clean bill of health for Saturday's trip to the Stade Bollaert-Delelis. The former could displace Marcus Coco at right-back, but the latter has little chance of leading the line ahead of Mohamed.
Home and away
While Nantes have turned a corner in recent weeks, Lens have endured a difficult start to their season having pushed PSG so close last term, and find themselves in 15th - only above FC Metz in the relegation play-off place on goal-difference - after nine games played.
Their UEFA Champions League form has stood in stark contrast, with victory over Arsenal and a draw with PSV Eindhoven under their belts, but the latter result does mean that Franck Haise's men have shared the spoils in each of their last three games in all competitions.
Watch: Highlights of Lens' goalless draw at Le Havre
Lens haven't lost at home to Nantes since March 2013, and Haise doesn't expect the Sang et Or support to make things easy for the visitors, despite the hosts' patchy form.
Big atmosphere expected
"We're a small town but there's a huge support for the club in the region and beyond," he said. "The atmosphere at the Bollaert is always special."
Lens are set to undergo some restructuring with l'Equipe reporting Grégory Thil will be replaced as sporting director by former Paris FC man Frédéric Hébert. That should free up Haise, who has little juggling to do on-field on Saturday.
Jimmy Cabot and Wuilker Farinez remain long-term absentees with cruciate ligament injuries, but David Costa is back after shoulder injury, giving Haise another option in the final third behind Elye Wahi.
Possible teams
Lens: Samba; Gradit, Danso, Medina; Frankowski, Mendy, Abdul Samed, Machado; Sotoca, Fulgini; Wahi
Nantes: Lafont; Coco, Comert, Duverne, Merlin; Chirivella, Douglas, Moutoussamy; Mollet, Mohamed, Simon
Mostafa Mohamed is back in contention for the nascent FC Nantes having served a two-game suspension ahead of their meeting with last season's runners-up RC Lens on Saturday.
RC Lens - FC Nantes
- Kick-off: 19:00 GMT
>> LIVE SCORING, STATS & COMMENTARY
Only Kylian Mbappé has outscored Mohamed this season, the Paris Saint-Germain superstar hitting eight Ligue 1 Uber Eats goals to the Egyptian's five - but the last of those was scored more than a month ago when Nantes beat FC Lorient 5-3.
Mohamed was sent off in the very next game - a 3-1 loss to their more established Breton rivals Stade Rennais FC - meaning he has missed the last two matches, which were victories over RC Strasbourg Alsace (2-1) and Montpellier Hérault SC (2-0).
Strength in depth
Those four goals were scored by four different players, and the Rennes blemish aside Nantes have won four of their last five games, lifting them up to seventh in the table, just a single point off the European places. Pierre Aristouy is understandably upbeat.
Watch: Highlights of Nantes' 2-0 win over Montpellier
"We're on a good run," he said recently. "We brought in quite a few players from the academy to have a substantial squad and continue working on what we've been doing since the start of the season. Youngsters have been involved. Many [senior] players were missing, but we didn't change anything [tactically]."
Fabien Centonze and Ignatius Ganago are back after hamstring and muscular injuries respectively, meaning Nantes have a clean bill of health for Saturday's trip to the Stade Bollaert-Delelis. The former could displace Marcus Coco at right-back, but the latter has little chance of leading the line ahead of Mohamed.
Home and away
While Nantes have turned a corner in recent weeks, Lens have endured a difficult start to their season having pushed PSG so close last term, and find themselves in 15th - only above FC Metz in the relegation play-off place on goal-difference - after nine games played.
Their UEFA Champions League form has stood in stark contrast, with victory over Arsenal and a draw with PSV Eindhoven under their belts, but the latter result does mean that Franck Haise's men have shared the spoils in each of their last three games in all competitions.
Watch: Highlights of Lens' goalless draw at Le Havre
Lens haven't lost at home to Nantes since March 2013, and Haise doesn't expect the Sang et Or support to make things easy for the visitors, despite the hosts' patchy form.
Big atmosphere expected
"We're a small town but there's a huge support for the club in the region and beyond," he said. "The atmosphere at the Bollaert is always special."
Lens are set to undergo some restructuring with l'Equipe reporting Grégory Thil will be replaced as sporting director by former Paris FC man Frédéric Hébert. That should free up Haise, who has little juggling to do on-field on Saturday.
Jimmy Cabot and Wuilker Farinez remain long-term absentees with cruciate ligament injuries, but David Costa is back after shoulder injury, giving Haise another option in the final third behind Elye Wahi.
Possible teams
Lens: Samba; Gradit, Danso, Medina; Frankowski, Mendy, Abdul Samed, Machado; Sotoca, Fulgini; Wahi
Nantes: Lafont; Coco, Comert, Duverne, Merlin; Chirivella, Douglas, Moutoussamy; Mollet, Mohamed, Simon