This Thursday, OGC Nice hosts Freiburg, as part of the 4th matchday of the Europa League. Victory is crucial for the Eaglets, after three consecutive defeats in the competition. All the pre-match information for this encounter can be found here.
OGC Nice has no other choice! To keep their last chances of qualification alive, Franck Haise’s men must absolutely score points in this Europa League. Reflecting their last Nice campaign, the Gym’s start in Europe has been catastrophic, with three defeats in as many matches played. The Eaglets first fell to Roma (2-1), then on Fenerbahce’s pitch, with the same score. Before the break, Antoine Mendy’s teammates succumbed once again, on the field of Celta Vigo (1-2). Nice returns to the Allianz Riviera to face the club from Freiburg (kick-off this Thursday at 18:45). This clash against the Germans already marks mid-course in this championship phase. There is no more room for doubt, only results for the Riviera club. In case of another poor performance, the last hopes of qualification might vanish along the Côte d’Azur.
On the field, OGC Nice should field its “typical” starting eleven. Last weekend, Franck Haise rotated the squad at the Parc des Princes in Ligue 1. Despite a solid defensive performance, the Gym conceded from the last corner of the match (0-1) in the final seconds. A performance that could leave regrets for Charles Vanhoutte’s teammates, who were on a streak of two consecutive victories in their last outings in the capital.
Jonathan Clauss suspended
Sent off after two avoidable yellow cards on the field of Vigo, Jonathan Clauss will serve his suspension during this match. The fullback would likely have missed this match even without the expulsion, as he was absent from the last two match sheets for OGC Nice. Having come off with a muscle issue against PSG, Sofiane Diop is doubtful for this fixture. The Franco-Moroccan might be rested.
No surprises for Franck Haise, who likely won’t benefit from many returns in his squad. Terem Moffi, Dante, Moïse Bombito, Youssouf Ndayishimiye, and Mohamed Abdelmonem are ruled out due to injury for this European encounter. However, Mohamed-Ali Cho might return to the squad. This could be good news for OGC Nice, as the forward is the only Nice player to have scored from open play in this 2025/26 Europa League edition. His speed and attacking abilities will be beneficial against the Germans.
On the other side, Freiburg’s initial results on the European stage are much more positive. After three matches, the Bundesliga club has already earned seven points. The German adventure started with a win over FC Basel (2-1), followed by a draw on Bologna’s pitch (1-1), and then another win against Utrecht (3-2). This places Julian Schuster’s players in the 6th position in the competition, while the OGC Nice is far behind in 34th position (out of 36)…
Probable Lineups:
Nice: Diouf – Mendy, Oppong, Bard – Louchet, Vanhoutte, Boudaoui, Abdi – Jansson, Carlos, Boga
Freiburg: Atubolu – Treu, Ginter, Lienhart, Günter – Eggestein, Osterhage – Beste, Suzuki, Grifo – Adamu.
