This Thursday, OGC Nice heads to Bulgaria to face the local powerhouse, Ludogorets. For this final Europa League championship match, the Gym doesn’t have much left to play for on a sporting level. Claude Puel might use this fixture to rotate within his starting eleven. All the pre-match details can be discovered here.
Chaining a second consecutive victory in the Europa League and exiting with a bit more honor. Already eliminated from the competition, the Aiglons have nothing left to play for, on a sporting level, approaching their last European trip. After trips to Turkey, Spain, and Portugal, OGC Nice is now heading to Bulgaria. The Aiglons will face Ludogorets on their turf (kick-off this Thursday at 9 PM at Huvepharma Arena), as part of the 8th and final day of this phase of the mini championship. This is the first-ever matchup between the two clubs.
For a week now, Claude Puel’s men have been showing positive signs. The Niçois have finally ended the negative spiral that the club has been experiencing in the Europa League for almost three years. OGC Nice has tasted victory again on the European stage, easily defeating Go Ahead Eagles (3-1). Three crucial points that will not, however, allow the Gym – already at a significant distance – to join the fight for qualifying places in the competition. Subsequently, Elye Wahi’s teammates confirmed their good form by winning away against FC Nantes (4-1) last weekend in Ligue 1. This Thursday, the Aiglons aim for three in a row!
Towards another big rotation?
Unsurprisingly, Claude Puel should stick to his approach and give playing time to players who lack it. This was already the case last week, against the Dutch club. Several players took advantage of the match to showcase their skills and earn points, like Tiago Gouveia, a double scorer that evening. The coach of the Aiglons also gave Kaïl Boudache his big debut. Coming on in the last quarter-hour of that match, the winger played the first minutes of his professional career.
But the tactician of OGC Nice still has to do without some of his key players. Youssouf Ndayishimiye, Moïse Bombito, Hicham Boudaoui, Djibril Coulibaly, Mohamed Abdelmonem, and Melvin Bard, injured, will not travel to Bulgaria. Booked last week, Charles Vanhoutte will serve a suspension. Finally, Elye Wahi, Zoumana Diallo, and Gabin Bernardeau are not eligible for this match.
On the other side, Ludogorets sits in the 25th place of the Europa League, with one more game to go in this mini championship. The Bulgarian club is just one point away from the qualifying spots for the playoffs. They won’t take this reception of Nice lightly. Per-Mathias Hogmo’s men suffered a setback last week, losing at the Rangers (0-1). In their history, the Bulgarians have not had much success when facing French clubs on the European stage (two draws and one loss against the Eagles).
Probable line-ups:
Ludogorets: Bonmann – Son, Verdon, Almeida, Nedyalkov – Duarte, Pedrinho – Stanic, Vidal, Erick – Bile
Nice: Diouf – Oppong, Bah, Mantsounga, Abdi – Ndombele, Abdul Samed, Louchet – Diop, Carlos, Gouveia.
