This Saturday, OGC Nice is making its debut in the Round of 64 of the French Cup. A challenging trip to Corsica, against US Corte, awaits Franck Haise’s men. All pre-match information can be found here.
Last outing of the year 2024 for OGC Nice! The Aiglons are entering the French Cup in Corsica to face US Corte (N3). Moïse Bombito’s teammates want to end the year with a victory, after some disappointing recent performances. Last weekend, the Gym conceded a draw in the last minutes on the pitch of Montpellier (2-2), the bottom team in the league, despite leading twice in the game.
A final trip to Corsica, wrapping up a long frustrating year for OGC Nice. For this occasion, the match has been relocated to Stade Armand-Césari in Furiani (kick-off this Saturday at 6 p.m.), where Bastia traditionally plays. Unfortunately, the Gym will not be able to count on its supporters’ support. A prefectural decree prohibits the red and black supporters from this match, due to the historical rivalry between Nice and Bastia.
Maxime Dupé starting
As usual this season, Franck Haise has to deal with the absence of a large part of his squad. Jérémie Boga, Dante, Ali Abdi, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Antoine Mendy, Terem Moffi, Morgan Sanson, Mohamed Ali Cho, Youssouf Ndayishimiye, and Victor Orakpo remain in the infirmary. “We have 13 absentees,” lamented Franck Haise this Thursday during the press conference. Injured against Montpellier, Tom Louchet has also dropped out. On his side, Pablo Rosario will not be part of the Nice squad either. The Dutch midfielder is experiencing calf discomfort and is not fit enough to play in this match.
Lastly, Marcin Bulka is also not expected to make the trip to Corsica. An undisputed starter in his position since the start of the season, the Azorean goalkeeper is being given a rest. His replacement, Maxime Dupé, will start the match in the Nice goal. “Maxime is a great goalkeeper with a great attitude, trains very well. Bulka has played a lot, if possible, I will give him a chance to rest,” confided Franck Haise about him.
On the opposing side, US Corte will aim to achieve an upset at this stage of the competition. In the league, the Corsican club is at the last position of its group in Nationale 3, the equivalent of the 5th tier of French football. The team is reaching the Round of 64 for the first time in 18 years.
Probable line-ups:
Corte: Luciani – Menozzi, Perotto, Sodini, Machado – Ait Bassou, Boussemart, Fanni – Rimane, Segarel, Tamboura
Nice: Dupé – Clauss, Bombito, Nandjou, Bard – Diop, Boudaoui, Camara – Bouanani – Laborde, Moukoko.
