Nimes will be looking to make it five straight wins over Brest in all competitions when the two teams lock horns on the opening weekend of the 2020-21 Ligue 1 campaign.

There had been suggestions that this match could be postponed after Nimes confirmed four cases of coronavirus in their squad, but the contest is, as it stands, due to go ahead on Sunday afternoon.

Match preview

Paris Saint Germain's Maxim Choupo-Moting in action with Nimes's Renaud Ripart in Ligue 1 on February 23, 2019 © Reuters

Nimes were 18th in the Ligue 1 table when the 2019-20 campaign was postponed, having picked up just seven wins from their 28 matches during a disappointing season.

Les Crocodiles managed to secure their spot at this level for at least one more year, though, and will be keen to open their 2020-21 season in a positive fashion on Sunday afternoon.

Nimes have had friendlies against Strasbourg, Grenoble Foot 38 and Rodez since the end of July, but they have not been in competitive action since a 2-1 defeat to Metz at the start of March.

As mentioned, there had been fears that this game would be suspended after four cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Nimes' first-team squad, but all four players have been quarantined, and the match is going ahead as it stands.

Jerome Arpinon's side have actually lost their last three competitive encounters, but they recorded four straight victories between February 1 and February 15 and are certainly capable of causing Brest problems in this game.

Brest coach Olivier Dall'Oglio pictured in January 2020 © Reuters

Brest, meanwhile, were 14th in Ligue 1 when the 2019-20 campaign was called to a halt due to the coronavirus outbreak, having won eight, drawn 10 and lost 10 of their 28 matches.

Les Pirates only returned to France's top flight for 2019-20 courtesy of finishing second in Ligue 2 the season before and therefore consolidating at this level is currently their priority.

Olivier Dall'Oglio's side, who have lost their last four matches against Nimes in all competitions, have not been in competitive action since a 1-0 loss to Reims on March 7.

They have played four friendlies over the last few weeks, though, recording victories over Stade Briochin and Guingamp, in addition to drawing with Lorient and losing against Rennes.

Brest have actually only won one of their last nine away games in Ligue 1 and have failed to score in five of their last seven matches on their travels, which will not fill their supporters with too much confidence.

Nimes pre-season form: LLD

Brest pre-season form: WDLW

Team News

Brest coach Olivier Dall'Oglio pictured in January 2020 © Reuters

Nimes are expected to hand a debut to 29-year-old goalkeeper Baptiste Reynet, who arrived from Toulouse this summer, while fellow new arrivals Andres Cubas, Yassine Benrahou and Birger Meling could also start.

Romain Philippoteaux was only a substitute in his side's last competitive match against Metz, but the attacker could come into the side for this game, while Lucas Deaux should keep his spot in midfield.

As for Brest, a busy summer transfer window has seen the likes of Franck Honorat, Christopher Herelle and Heriberto Tavares all arrive, and the trio should go straight into the starting side for this game.

The visitors are expected to line up in a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Gaetan Charbonnier likely to lead the line, meaning that Irvin Cardona could be deployed in the number 10 spot.

Ibrahima Diallo should keep his spot in midfield, though, while new arrival Herelle is likely to be partnered in central defence by Jean-Kevin Duverne.

Nimes possible starting lineup:
Reynet; Ripart, Landre, Birancon, Meling; Deaux, Cubas; Philippoteaux, Benrahou, Ferhat; Roux

Brest possible starting lineup:
Larsonneur; Pierre-Gabriel, Herelle, Duverne, Perraud; Honorat, Diallo, Battocchio, Tavares; Cardona; Charbonnier

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We say: Nimes 1-1 Brest

Both teams will be desperate to get their campaigns off to a winning start, but a draw would not be the worst result in the world. There should be a number of new players on display in this particular game, and we are struggling to separate the two sides on the afternoon.

Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a draw or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Nimes win with a probability of 44.01%. A win for Brest had a probability of 29.84% and a draw had a probability of 26.2%.

The most likely scoreline for a Nimes win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.92%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.96%) and 2-0 (7.87%). The likeliest Brest win was 0-1 (8.63%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.43%). The actual scoreline of 4-0 was predicted with a 1.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Nimes would win this match.