OGC Nice hosts Olympique de Marseille this Friday evening (8:30 PM) for a Mediterranean derby that’s always heated. After victories against Lorient and Bordeaux, the Eagles have the chance to secure a third consecutive win. Meanwhile, OM is showing signs of weakening and has many absentees.
It’s been two years and a month that OGC Nice has been waiting for a series of three victories. The last time was during the 2012-2013 season, specifically between November and December when the Eagles defeated Toulouse, Sochaux, and PSG. This Friday, in front of their home crowd, the Gym has the opportunity to erase a distant “record.” The Nice team returned to success at the Allianz Riviera against Lorient (3-1) after initially trailing. Even better, they secured a victory at the end of regular time in Bordeaux (2-1), once again after conceding the first goal.
A change in gameplay, primarily in mindset. Eric Bauthéac and Valentin Eysseric, the two standout players for the Gym, admitted it. After the defeat in Valenciennes (2-0 on January 6), the players talked among themselves and the coach warned the entire group after a less than average performance. The immediate effect was that the Nice team showed a determined face in the last two matches, especially the impressive second half in Bordeaux. The Eagles have moved from a precarious position before the break (3 points ahead of the first relegation candidate) to a spot in the top half of the table. The red and blacks are now looking upwards. Montpellier, in 6th place, is only four points away.
“Many players have raised their level of play. The goal is for them to express these qualities as often as possible. The team is still cyclical. These victories require confirmation. The group is young, it needs to reach new levels and set challenges,” explained Claude Puel on Wednesday at the press briefing.
The Allianz Riviera will host its first big clash of the season. More than 30,000 people have already confirmed their attendance for the reception of Olympique de Marseille, who are second in Ligue 1, one point behind Lyon. Impressive in the first half of the season, the Olympians have slowed down since the restart. Eliminated in Grenoble in the French Cup (3-3, 5-4 on penalties), defeated by Montpellier (2-1), the Phocaeans struggled to beat Guingamp last Sunday (2-1). With six absentees (Nkoulou, Ayew at the CAN; Fanni and Mendy suspended; Barrada and Alessandrini injured), Marcelo Bielsa will field an unprecedented lineup with a significantly reshuffled defense missing three starters.
“The Marseillais are performing less well but still winning matches. They will have a reshuffled defense; it’s up to us to play our game and set things on fire as we’d like to do at home. The second half in Bordeaux should serve us. We want this third victory,” admits Valentin Eysseric.
The heavy defeat in the first leg (4-0) lingers in the minds of the Nice players, who will be looking for revenge. One must recall last season when the Gym defeated OM three times (twice in Ligue 1, once in the French Cup), including a 1-0 victory at home thanks to an unbeatable goalkeeper, David Ospina, who has been starting at Arsenal for a few weeks now. So, a repeat performance?
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