This Friday, the Aiglons travel to Lille’s pitch for the 18th day of Ligue 1. This match is already deemed pivotal in the race for European qualification spots. All the pre-match information can be found here.
OGC Nice is tackling a big challenge! Now 4th in Ligue 1, Franck Haise’s men head to the pitch of LOSC, 5th, this Friday (kick-off at 21:05). In the standings, only one point separates the two teams before the start of this day. The Niçois could make a significant move in the race for European competition qualification spots by winning on northern soil.
The Aiglons want to extend a completely successful start to the year 2025. The teammates of Jonathan Clauss have won their first three matches across all competitions in January. The Azuréens began with a victory against Rennes, then won at Reims, and later at Bastia in the Coupe de France. In the first leg, the Gym snatched a draw (2-2) thanks to a late goal by Tom Louchet, on the last chance of the match.
A Clash for Europe
For this encounter, Franck Haise is expected to use the same victorious squad from Tuesday at Bastia. Long-term absentees (Terem Moffi, Morgan Sanson, Jérémie Boga, Victor Orakpo) remain in the infirmary. Sidelined due to a groin issue, Moïse Bombito is also out for this match.
The Canadian defender had already missed the last two matches for the Gym. Finally, Tanguy Ndombele is aiming for a return within the Azuréen group. Not physically ready, the French international was not part of the trip to Corsica earlier this week.
On the other side, LOSC remains on an impressive unbeaten run. Bruno Genesio’s men haven’t lost any of their last twenty matches across all competitions. The Dogues’ last defeat was on September 17 against Sporting Portugal (in the Champions League). However, the Nordistes will be without Edon Zhegrova, Samuel Umtiti, Ethan Mbappé, Mattias Fernandez-Pardo (scorer in the first leg), Tiago Santos, and Nabil Bentaleb, who are injured.
Probable Line-Ups
LOSC: Chevalier – Meunier, Diakité, Alexsandro, Bakker – André (C), Bouaddi – Cabella, Gomes, Haraldsson – David
Nice: Bulka – Clauss, Ndayishimiye, Dante (C), Bard – Diop, Rosario, Boudaoui – Cho, Laborde, Guessand