ASSE – OGC Nice: The Gym plays for its Ligue 1 survival with a high-tension playoff

This Tuesday evening, OGC Nice travels to the AS Saint-Étienne pitch for the first leg of these Ligue 1 playoffs. During this first part, the Gym is already playing for its place in the elite of French football. The Eagles travel to the Geoffroy-Guichard pitch without Elye Wahi, suspended, but will be able to count on the presence of its internationals. All the pre-match information for this fixture is to be discovered here.

180 minutes and more if needed to stay in Ligue 1! OGC Nice starts its final mission of the year and no minor one: the Eagles will play for their place in the elite of French football this week, on the occasion of a double confrontation against AS Saint-Étienne. The first leg will be played this Tuesday (kick-off at 8:45 PM), before the return three days later in an Allianz Riviera behind closed doors, since Nice has been sanctioned by the LFP following disturbances at the end of the last league day against Metz. Nothing is working in the Niçois’ favor. At the end of these two matches, we will know a little more about the future of the Gym, whether the teammates of Antoine Mendy will play in Ligue 1, or in Ligue 2, next season. And a relegation could have negative impacts across all areas for the Azur club.

Also a sign that nothing is working in the Eagles’ favor, OGC Nice had to digest a difficult defeat, in the French Cup final. “I think we rose to the occasion, with a very good start. We were not clinical enough. It’s frustrating to deliver such a performance and not see it through to the end. We deserved it as much as this Lens team,” said Claude Puel, after the match. The Eagles rose to the occasion, and with a bit more realism and luck, the result could have been entirely different. In front of fifteen thousand red and black supporters present at the Stade de France, the teammates of Morgan Sanson seemed to resolve the bond with theirs. The fracture between the Azur club and its fans had nevertheless been established for several weeks. Now, it is an entire people, an entire institution, an entire city that is turned toward the same objective: to save Nice‘s place in Ligue 1.

Elye Wahi suspended

The preparations for this playoff have been turbulent on the OGC Nice side. The reason: FIFA‘s decision to authorize the release of internationals to their national teams starting Monday May 25, in preparation for the 2026 World Cup (June 11 – July 19, 2026). The governing body refused the LFP‘s request for an exemption to allow the players in question to participate in the two playoff matches. Only the Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, scheduled for May 30, obtained this privilege. On the Gym’s side, seven players were potentially concerned. Maurice Cohen, Jean-Pierre Rivère and the Nice management had to battle during tough negotiations with each national team to have the possibility of keeping some of its players. And the case-by-case approach was difficult to say the least.

Antoine Mendy, Yehvann Diouf and Elye Wahi will be part of it – only for the return for the Ivorian international, suspended this Tuesday after an accumulation of yellow cards – for this playoff. For the striker, the presence of Emerse Faé, former Eagle (2009-2012), on the bench of the Elephants facilitated the agreement between Nice and Ivory Coast. According to RMC Sport, Kojo Peprah Oppong could be absent only during the return match of this playoff. Finally it becomes complicated for Ali Abdi, Hicham Boudaoui and Salis Abdul Samed. As confirmed by Puel in his press conference, no authorization has been granted so far for these three players. The Tunisian defender allegedly expressed his desire to participate in both matches. Not enough to convince his coach, Sabri Lamouchi, to grant him this favor.

On the other side, AS Saint-Étienne had made a return to Ligue 1 the main objective of their season. In the second division, the Greens had lacked consistency, especially in the final stretch of the championship, to secure one of the two first-place finishes in the standings, a sign of promotion. After a victory on penalties against Rodez (0-0, 7-6 AET), the men of Phillipe Montanier secured one last chance to believe with this home and away playoff. ASSE and OGC Nice already faced each other at the end of last year. It was a Round of 32 French Cup match. For what would then be the last of Franck Haise on the Nice bench, the Gym qualified thanks to goals from Morgan Sanson and Zoumana Diallo (2-1).

Probable lineups:

Saint-Étienne: Larsonneur (C) – Pedro, Nade, Bernauer, Old – Gadegbeku, Kanté – Cardona, Davitashvili, Duffus – Stassin

Nice: Diouf – Clauss, Mendy, Bah, Oppong, Bard – Sanson (C), Boudaoui (or Coulibaly), Vanhoutte – Cho, Diop