According to records, the club have faced French opposition a surprisingly modest 13 times since post-war football began.
Yet Palace boast an impressive record in such fixtures, winning 10 of those matches (drawing once, losing twice).
What’s more, the Eagles have tended to hit the goal trail, bagging ‘beaucoup de buts’ – 39 goals, in fact, while conceding only 18 at the other end.
FC Nantes – known as La Maison Jaune – finished 14th in Ligue 1 last season and are one of France’s most successful clubs, having won eight league titles and produced some of the finest players in the nation’s history, including Claude Makélélé, Marcel Desailly and current national team manager Didier Deschamps.
An entertaining affair should therefore be expected for Sunday's game, with tickets available for this match through the Crystal Palace ticketing website. The game can also be watched on Palace TV+.
Let’s take a look back on how Palace have fared against French opposition in years gone by…
In recent times
Palace 2-0 Olympique Lyonnais
5th August 2023
The Eagles produced a performance of impressive control to defeat Lyon 2-0 at Selhurst Park last year, on a day when new signing Matheus França was memorably unveiled to the Selhurst Park faithful.
Once again for Palace in pre-season, an Ebere Eze set-piece was the source, the No. 10 swinging a free-kick in from deep – but Jeffrey Schlupp, timing his leap to perfection, did superbly to get in front of his man and arc a header into the top corner beyond Anthony Lopes.
