The Aiglons host Brest on Sunday for the 20th day of Ligue 1. A match against a direct competitor that could prove decisive for the rest of the season.
After a defeat in the Europa League (0-1) on the last matchday, against the Bulgarian club Ludogorets, Nice will have to bounce back in the league against Brest for the 20th day of Ligue 1. As a direct competitor in the race for survival, Brest is only one point ahead of Nice. Currently 13th in the championship, the Aiglons will need to win on Sunday against Brest to hope to distance themselves from the play-off zone, which is seven points away, occupied by Nantes. In the event of a victory against Brest and a slip-up from Angers, the Gym could climb to 11th place.
Although the match is against a direct competitor, the Gym coach, Claude Puel, emphasized in a press conference the importance of all matches, regardless of the opponent. “It has the importance (OGC Nice – Brest) that the match against Nantes (4-1) had […] All matches are, no matter the opponent, whether they are very well ranked or less so. Points have to be earned each time against opponents who always have big ambitions. We are far from the target in securing survival and climbing the ranks. There is still a lot of work ahead.”
The Question Marks Regarding the Starting Eleven
The recent good performances of Maxime Dupé have earned him a spot in the starting eleven during the absence of Yevhan Diouf, who left for the Africa Cup of Nations. Returning to the starting lineup on Thursday against Ludogorets, the Senegalese goalkeeper performed well despite his team’s defeat. With two goalkeepers now capable of starting, Claude Puel will have to decide for this weekend’s match. When asked about it during the press conference, the coach remained ambiguous: “I don’t answer that kind of question. We are lucky to have two very good goalkeepers. I’m happy about it. I hope both will handle it in the best way possible.”
As for the remaining ten players, some key players remain uncertain: “We have some uncertainties, one or two players were sick this week. Hicham Boudaoui had a bit of an individual session.” Returning to training on Tuesday with partial resumption, Youssouf Ndayishimiye and Mohamed Abdelmonem are also uncertain, as is Melvin Bard. “Melvin is still sidelined due to an inflammation in his groin. Moïse Bombito remains unavailable.”
On the other side, Stade Brestois has suffered two consecutive defeats against Lyon and Toulouse. Currently 12th in the championship with 22 points, “The Pirates” intend to reverse the trend led by their offensive assets Ludovic Ajorque and Romain Del Castillo. The match will be no easy task for OGC Nice, which had already faced Brest earlier this season and suffered a 4-1 defeat at Francis-Le Blé. It remains to be seen which eleven men Claude Puel will choose to face Stade Brestois at Allianz Riviera, this Sunday at 5:15 PM.
The Probable Line-ups:
Nice: Diouf, Clauss, Oppong, Mendy, Abdi, Sanson (C), Vanhoutte, Louchet, Diop, Cho, Wahi
Brest: Coudert – Lala, Coulibaly, Chardonnet (C), Guindo – Magnetti, Chotard – Del Castillo, Doumbia, Labeau Lascary – Ajorque.
