While OGC Nice remains unbeaten in the last three matches, Sporting Club de Bastia is in a crisis with 7 games without a victory. This match is within the reach of Claude Puel’s men, who can move into the top half of the standings with a win. The derby promises to be hot on the field as always, but not in the stands following the ban on Corsican supporters traveling.
It’s been ten years since Bastia last won on Nice’s territory (September 10, 1994, 2-1), almost an eternity in football. A Nice-Bastia derby is not just any match, with strong rivalry, especially among the supporters, less so between the players of the two teams. Today, the two teams are in completely different dynamics. On one side, OGC Nice, confident after three unbeaten matches (1-0 against Lille, 1-0 against Monaco, and 1-1 against Montpellier). On the other, Bastia, 19th with 7 points, has not won since last August 23 (1-0 against Toulouse), their only victory this season.
At OGC Nice, everything seems to have calmed down, logically, after two fine victories against Lille and Monaco, and a point snatched in the last seconds against Montpellier. The time when the supporters put pressure after the defeat against Nantes is already far behind. At present, Nice is looking up rather than down. The home game against Bastia and then the away match at Guingamp are considered “winnable” for picking up points and aiming for the top of the standings. OGC Nice can rely on the return of defender Romain Genevois, who has recovered from his thigh strain. However, Cvitanich and Albert are still not ready to return.
“We have not yet seen what the squad is capable of. For me, it’s the best group we’ve had since Claude (Puel) arrived. We’ve had two good weeks of training, but this match against Bastia won’t be easy,” acknowledges Frédéric Gioria, assistant to Claude Puel.
On the Isle of Beauty, anger is mounting and Claude Makélélé, former assistant to Laurent Blanc at Paris Saint-Germain, appears to be on borrowed time. Despite some shrewd signings (Aréola, Maboulou, Gillet, Peybernes), the only Corsican team in Ligue 1 since Ajaccio’s relegation is 19th in the standings and has only won one match. In the event of a defeat, things could change and Claude Makélélé could be relieved of his duties. This situation may motivate the Corsican group, in addition to the derby notion. For this match, Yannick Cahuzac, the emblematic captain suspended for pushing a referee, El-Hadji Ba suffering from a fibula fracture, and Pino with an adductor strain will be absent.
Last season, in a very tumultuous match with Bastia’s Cahuzac sent off (suspended tonight), Nice won 2-0. It’s a scenario the Nice fans would like to see repeated to enter the top half of the table and celebrate Claude Puel’s contract extension.
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