Nothing is going right at Ray, and OGC Nice is increasingly struggling to lead the game. Clearly, this does not allude to the northern club’s jersey sponsor. Nice has gone four home matches without a victory. Three losses against Lorient, Auxerre, and Marseille, and a draw against Le Mans. Frédéric Antonetti’s men just suffered a defeat at Sochaux at the very end of the match. For the first time since the start of the L1 season, they have lost twice consecutively. Their ranking is still excellent (7th), but with another poor performance, the red and blacks would slowly but surely slip into the soft midsection of the league.
For the fans, and for the morale of the players too, it would be preferable to reconnect with success to end well. And then to keep the European dream alive. Rennes (5th) is just one point away, a spot qualifying for the third round of the Intertoto Cup, a preliminary round of the UEFA Cup.
The goal is the same for Claude Puel’s LOSC. Lille has gone six away games without defeats. Five draws but one significant victory in the derby against Lens. Long in the fight for survival, the northerners are now in outsider position to snatch an Intertoto spot. Unforeseen. Fabulous in the primary sense of the word as the curve of the two clubs resembles the story of The Hare and the Tortoise. Lille players Adil Rami and Rio Mavuba were even called up by Raymond Domenech. Alongside Hugo Lloris, the Nice goalkeeper, they played in the A’ match against Mali. Quite symbolic of the Northerners’ revival. One could also mention the performances of Yohan Cabaye, author of 6 goals, one of this year’s L1 revelations.
The eagles against the Mastiffs, or the hare versus the tortoise. A football fable will unfold at Ray on Saturday, and depending on the result, one of the two teams will head towards a fabulous destiny.
