This Saturday, OGC Nice travels to Angers SCO’s pitch, as part of the 26th day of Ligue 1. In a negative spiral in the league, Claude Puel’s men are obliged to take points in the race for survival. The possible return of Elye Wahi would represent a huge boost for the Gym. All the pre-match information for this encounter is to be discovered here.
A humiliation! Because there are no other words to describe the latest poor performance of OGC Nice. Last weekend, Claude Puel’s players sank in front of their supporters at the Allianz Riviera, against an opponent, Stade Rennais (0-4), largely superior in all areas of play. Nervous from start to finish, Juma Bah’s teammates were never able to trouble their opponent. On the contrary, the Eagles stood out for their technical errors, their defensive lapses and yet again, a failing collective spirit. Another negative result that does not help the Gym, stuck in 15th position in Ligue 1 and in the terrible and daunting race for survival. The gap with the playoff spot holder, AJ Auxerre, has narrowed further: the AJA now has only five points behind Nice. With nine matches left in the season, keeping the red and black in the elite of French football is far from guaranteed.
For this, they will need to get back to winning ways in Ligue 1, on Angers‘ pitch (kick-off this Saturday at 7pm, at the Stade Raymond-Kopa). Since Claude Puel’s arrival at the beginning of January at the helm of OGC Nice, the Gym has won only one of its nine league matches. That was on FC Nantes’ pitch (1-4), just over a month and a half ago. Apart from this victory against the Canaries, the Eagles are stringing together poor performances. The tactical choices of the former midfielder are questionable, such as his choice to start Sofiane Diop in a false number nine role last weekend against Rennes. A losing bet!
Nice’s place in Ligue 1 is hanging by a thread
In this whole negative climate, Claude Puel could at least have one good piece of news: the return of Elye Wahi. Absent since his ankle sprain against Lyon, OGC Nice’s striker – whose determination was praised by his coach at the press conference – received the green light from the medical staff to resume group training this Thursday. He is pushing for a spot in the squad this weekend. A decision could be made following the last Nice training session on Friday.
On the injury front, the names of Kojo Oppong and Mohamed-Ali Cho, injured last weekend, have been added to the red and black’s injury list. The first is suffering from a contusion and the second has a plantar fascia lesion. Ali Abdi, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Moïse Bombito, Tanguy Ndombele and Ali Abdi remain unavailable. Youssouf Ndayishimiye, present on the team sheet last week, should have his second consecutive big game for the first time since his ACL rupture last year. The end of the nightmare is approaching for the Burundian defender.
Across the way, Angers occupies 11th place in Ligue 1, with eight more points than Nice. Although their survival is not yet secured on a points basis, SCO has built a good cushion above the relegation zone. The Angers side are one of the pleasant surprises of this 2025/26 L1 season. Alexandre Dujeux’s men have surprised many observers with the quality of their football. Away, Jordan Lefort’s teammates came to win at the Allianz Riviera (0-1). The black and whites come off the back of a victory against Nantes last weekend.
Probable lineups:
Angers SCO: Koffi – Arcus, Camara, Lefort, Ekomie – Capelle (C), Belkebla, Van den Boomen – Raolisoa, Koyalipou, Sbaï
OGC Nice: Dupé – Clauss, Bah, Dante (C), Bard – Sanson, Vanhoutte, Diop – Louchet, Carlos, Bernardeau.
NicePremium is a free, independent local news outlet.
Help us keep going by supporting our work from €5 per month.
