Not at their best in the league at the moment, OGC Nice travels to Drancy on Wednesday evening for the French Cup quarter-finals. On paper, a match between a Ligue 1 club and a CFA league team looks unbalanced. And yet there are reasons to worry about a potential misstep by Nice.
1. Do not underestimate an amateur team
It’s true that, in theory, the gap between a team like Drancy, currently fifteenth in the CFA Group A standings, and OGC Nice gives the impression of David versus Goliath. However, we’re talking about a French Cup quarter-final. In a single match, anything can happen: a moment of genius from the “Cinderella” of the competition, bad luck for Nice during the match, an unfavorable game event, or even a questionable refereeing decision…
2. Drancy, not as weak as it seems
Moreover, if Drancy has reached this stage of the competition, it’s surely because they’ve managed to prevail against teams that, at first glance, seemed superior. They even beat Boulogne-sur-Mer (Ligue 2), away (1-0), in the previous round.
3. Nice doesn’t like the underdogs
Furthermore, it should be reminded, if needed, that OGC Nice doesn’t precisely have easy matches against supposedly weaker teams. As proof, last season’s defeat in the round of 64 against another CFA club, Plabennec, 1-0, or more recently the very difficult qualification in a penalty shootout at Créteil (National).
4. This season, the underdogs are hunting the big ones
Another point to consider: the incredible decimation of elite clubs this year in the French Cup. Only seven Ligue 1 teams will be part of the sixteen survivors who will face off on Tuesday and Wednesday. This is a clear sign that the level gap between the different divisions is inexorably narrowing.
5. The Aiglons trailing in the championship
17th in the overall Ligue 1 standings since the 21st matchday and following that critical defeat in Bordeaux, Nice is in a bad position only one point away from the first team in the relegation zone, RC Lens. With an attack still struggling to score (4 goals in the last eight matches across all competitions) and a defense that has shown signs of weakness against the Girondins last Sunday, Nice presents a somewhat disappointing face.
Admittedly, they are capable of transcending themselves for major events like against Lyon in the previous round or Marseille in the championship last December 5. But do they have the necessary motivation to progress one more round? It’s logical to think that the primary goal remains ever more survival in the league. So why exhaust their resources in another adventure?
Because this isn’t just any adventure. It can represent for the winning team an entire epic. It can transform a bleak season into a successful one. It could represent, for some like goalkeeper Lionel Letizi, an exceptional swan song, the most beautiful gift to end a career. It could finally constitute one of the finest chapters in the history of the Gym, provided it is taken seriously…
