This Sunday, OGC Nice hosts Olympique Lyonnais to close out the 24th matchday of Ligue 1. In the first leg, the Nice team fell heavily on the Rhone grounds (1-4). All the pre-match information for this encounter can be found here.
A big clash against a direct contender in the race for Europe for OGC Nice! The Eagles receive OL, aiming for a fifth consecutive victory in Ligue 1. Nice has the opportunity to create a ten-point lead in the standings if they win Sunday evening. In great form, the teammates of Baptiste Santamaria are clinging to their third place on the podium. Last weekend, the players of Franck Haise won on the Saint-Étienne field (3-1), without delivering a standout performance.
With ten matches left in the season, the Gym can aim very high. The Nice team is still in the running for a qualification for the next edition of the Champions League. The Azuréens even benefit from a favorable schedule in this month of March. The Eagles will host three of the next four championship matchdays. The only away game in this period: a match in Monaco on March 29th, just a few kilometers from the Allianz Riviera. Almost a fourth home game for the Nice team…
Morgan Sanson is back!
A unique aspect of this match: neither of the two coaches will be present on the field during the match. Suspended, Franck Haise and Paulo Fonseca will follow this fixture from the stands, assisted by their respective deputies. The Azuréen coach is serving the second of three match suspensions. On the other hand, the coach for Les Gones begins his nine-month suspension after his vehement behavior towards a referee last weekend. On the Nice side, the Eagles’ coach has an almost complete squad. Still troubled by his groin injury, Tanguy Ndombele will not be part of the team, as well as Terem Moffi.
The Nigerian international has resumed team training but is still unfit to make his return to competition. For his part, Morgan Sanson is vying for a spot in the OGC Nice group. “Morgan is training. He can play, he is selectable. He is entering his third week of full training,” explains the Nice coach about him in a press conference. The end of the tunnel has finally arrived for the midfielder. To recall, he hasn’t played a single minute this season in the red and black colors. Victim of an ankle fracture in the preseason, Sanson was misdiagnosed and has since undergone a long period of rest and rehabilitation.
Opposite, OL occupies 6th place in Ligue 1, seven points behind the Eagles. Les Gones remain in the race for European qualification. The men of Paulo Fonseca found their way back to victory last Sunday against Brest (2-1). For this match, the Lyon coach has a complete squad. No major absences are noted in their ranks.
The probable lineups:
Nice: Bulka – Bombito, Ndayishimiye, Dante (C) – Clauss, Santamaria, Boudaoui, Bard – Guessand, Laborde, Cho
Lyon: Perri – Kumbedi, Mata, Niakhaté, Tagliafico – Tolisso, Matic – Mikautadze, Cherki, Fofana – Lacazette (C).