This Sunday, OGC Nice travels to AJ Auxerre’s pitch for the 33rd and penultimate day of Ligue 1. The Gym cannot afford another mistake against a direct rival. With a positive result, the Eagles would finally secure their place in the top flight, after a more than sluggish season. All the pre-match information for this encounter can be found here.
OGC Nice is playing the most important match of their season! For their last away trip of the season in the championship, the Eagles will play for their place in the top flight, on the pitch of a direct rival, AJ Auxerre (kickoff for this fixture this Sunday at 8:45 PM at Abbé-Deschamps). The situation is simple: before this 33rd day, Nice has only a three-point lead over their competitor in the standings. And if Auxerre wins, the men of Claude Puel would see their opponent leapfrog them thanks to a better goal difference. In this worst-case scenario, Nice could find themselves in a playoff position before the final day of the championship. A situation to avoid at all costs!
Defeat in Burgundy is therefore forbidden for Charles Vanhoutte‘s teammates. On the contrary, a positive result at the end of this match could definitively seal the red and black side’s survival in Ligue 1 and allow the entire club to breathe a huge sigh of relief, two weeks before the French Cup final, May 22nd at the Stade de France. In recent weeks, the Eagles have rediscovered a collective, united spirit, as evidenced by the draw earned against RC Lens (1-1) last weekend. Now they need to get back to winning ways in the league, which hasn’t happened for nearly two months for the Côte d’Azur club – with their last victory coming on Angers’s pitch (0-2).
Clauss and Wahi uncertain
In what physical condition are the two key players of OGC Nice? Absent both last week against Lens, Wahi and Clauss remain uncertain for this crucial encounter in the battle for survival. The defender and striker have gradually returned to training. They will be tested again in the coming hours before a decision is made on their participation in this final away match of the season. As last week, no risks should be taken with these two cases.
For the rest, Claude Puel will have a fairly standard squad to work with. While Moïse Bombito is not yet operational, the rest of the OGC Nice squad will be available to the Eagles’ tactician. There should be no major surprises in Nice’s starting lineup. The former midfielder should continue to rely on a defensive 5-4-1. In this area, a starting role for Dante would be hoped for, although the Brazilian could still start on the bench, as had already been the case in the Gym’s last two league outings.
Opposite them, AJ Auxerre occupies 16th place in Ligue 1 – synonymous with playoffs – with 28 points to their name, three fewer than Nice. Yet Christophe Pélissier’s team is perhaps the bottom-table team in the best form at this end of the championship. After coming close to a scalp of OL, AJA found their way back to victory against Angers (3-1) last weekend. A crucial victory that allows Lassine Sinayoko‘s teammates to still consider direct survival in the top flight. At home, you must be wary of Auxerre, who are surely dreaming of leapfrogging the Gym in this final stretch.
Probable lineups:
Auxerre: Léon (or De Percin) – Sy, Diomandé, Okoh, Mensah – Ahmada, Owusu (C), Danois – Sinayoko, Mara, Namaso
Nice: Diouf – Louchet (or Clauss), Mendy, Bah, Oppong, Bard – Sanson (C), Boudaoui, Vanhoutte – Diop, Cho
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