This Thursday, OGC Nice travels to Portugal to face FC Porto, as part of the 5th round of the Europa League. The Eagles have no choice and must win to keep alive their last hope for qualification. The Gym will reunite with a familiar face on the Dragons’ bench: Francesco Farioli. All pre-match information for the encounter can be discovered here.
Once again, OGC Nice has no other option. Still stuck at zero points in the Europa League—the only team in the competition in this scenario alongside the Rangers—the Eagles must win in this fifth European matchday. The journey and adventure of Nice continue in Portugal and Porto (kick-off of the match this Thursday at 9 PM at the Estadio do Dragão). The players under Franck Haise are currently experiencing a very complicated record, almost a habit for the Gym in Europe, with no victories in this European cup for over a year now. Since September, the Nicois have faced defeats to Roma (1-2), against Fenerbahce by the same score, followed by another underperformance against Celta Vigo (1-2). The teammates of Jonathan Clauss then returned to the Allianz Riviera, without success. Against Fribourg, the club from the Côte d’Azur fell once again (1-3), after leading the score.
At FC Porto, the Gym will meet two familiar faces from the Côte d’Azur: Francesco Farioli and Pablo Rosario. The Italian was at the helm of the Gym during the 2023-2024 season and helped Nice return to European competition after spending the previous season in the mid-table. Following a brief stint with Ajax Amsterdam, the former coach of OGC Nice signed with the prestigious Portuguese team during the summer. A few weeks after his arrival, FC Porto announced the addition of Pablo Rosario. The defensive midfielder had spent four seasons wearing the red and black and was looking for a new challenge during the offseason.
OGC Nice must win
On the injury front, there are few changes on the Eagles’ side. Moisé Bombito, Mohamed Abdelmonem, and Youssouf Ndayishimiye are still recovering. Their returns to competition aren’t expected in the short term, which heavily hampers the Gym’s defense lately. Absent at the last minute from the derby lost against Marseille, Dante and Hicham Boudaoui remain uncertain for this new match. The captain of OGC Nice is still dealing with knee problems. Meanwhile, the Algerian midfielder is suffering from a back issue. It’s unlikely that Franck Haise will take any risk with these two players. Finally, Jonathan Clauss is available after serving his suspension match following his expulsion on the field in Vigo.
On the other side, FC Porto occupies the 14th position with just seven points in the Europa League table, halfway through this mini-championship phase. The players under Francesco Farioli had started their campaign well, with two consecutive victories, against Salzburg (1-0) and then Red Star Belgrade (2-1). Before hitting a setback on the pitch against Nottingham Forest (0-2) and sharing the points with the Dutch team Utrecht (1-1). The Portuguese remain well-positioned in the race for qualification and could even break into the Top 8 with a win against Nice.
Probable line-ups:
Porto: Costa – Fernandes, Bednarek, Prpic, Zaidu – Veiga, Rosario, Estaquio – Pepe, Samu, Sainz
Nice: Diouf – Mendy, Bah, Bard – Clauss, Vanhoutte, Sanson, Abdi – Diop, Carlos, Boga.
