ANGERS, France (Interstat) — Angers and Nantes open the Ligue 1 season Sunday, April 26, at Stade Raymond-Kopa, renewing a regional rivalry that has favored the home side in recent meetings.

The matchup marks Week 1 of the French top flight, with both teams looking to start the campaign on solid footing. Angers, the home side, enters on the back of a 1-1 draw at Le Havre on April 18, a result that snapped a three-match losing streak. Before that, Angers lost 5-1 at Lens on March 20, fell 2-0 to Nice on March 14 and beat Nantes 1-0 on March 7.

That March 7 victory gave Angers a 2-0 edge in the most recent head-to-head series. On Dec. 12, 2025, Angers routed Nantes 4-1 at home. Nantes’ lone win in the past two meetings came on March 1, 2026, a 1-0 home victory over Lille. Overall, Nantes enters Sunday’s match having lost four of its past five outings. The most recent was a 3-0 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, April 22. Prior to that, Nantes drew 1-1 with Brest on April 19 and lost 3-2 at Strasbourg on March 22.

Interstat’s ELO system projects Nantes with a 60.60 percent probability of victory, but the recent head-to-head history suggests a more competitive contest. Angers has won three of the past four meetings between the clubs, including both matchups in the 2025-26 season.

Angers will aim to build on a mixed run of form that includes a 1-0 win over Toulouse on Feb. 8, a 1-0 victory over Metz on Feb. 1 and a 0-0 draw at Paris FC on Jan. 25. However, the team has struggled against top opposition, losing 2-0 to Monaco on Feb. 28 and 1-0 to Lille on Feb. 22. A 5-2 loss at Marseille on Jan. 17 highlighted defensive vulnerabilities.

Nantes’ schedule includes a home match against Marseille on May 2, a trip to Lens on May 8 and a home game against Toulouse on May 17. Angers travels to Auxerre on May 3, hosts Strasbourg on May 10 and visits Brest on May 17.

Kickoff is set for Sunday evening at Stade Raymond-Kopa, where Angers will seek to extend its recent dominance over its western rival.