This Sunday, OGC Nice travels to FC Lorient’s field for the 14th day of Ligue 1. The Aiglons are going through a crisis at all levels and are accumulating defeats. Franck Haise even offered to be the scapegoat for reviving the club, a proposal rejected by its leaders. All the pre-match information for this encounter can be discovered here.
It’s a crisis at OGC Nice! Nothing is going well within the Azurian club, and the Gym continues its downfall, defeat after defeat, in recent weeks. The last success for the red and black dates back to nearly a month ago, against LOSC (2-0). Since then, the Aiglons have been accumulating losses and poor performances, failing to climb out of this terrible negative spiral. This Thursday, Mohamed-Ali Cho and his teammates fell again in the Europa League against FC Porto (0-2), conceding the opening goal only eighteen seconds into the game (a record for a French club in the European Cup for 22 years). Under these conditions, Franck Haise even brought up a potential departure. He acknowledged having offered to be the “shock therapy”, after the heavy defeat in the derby against Olympique de Marseille. The possibility has been completely ruled out by the Nice leaders who still believe the French coach is the man for the situation to steer the ship back on course in the upcoming fixtures. A logical reflection when you know the tactician signed a contract in September until 2029.
In a climate of high tension, OGC Nice has headed to Brittany to face FC Lorient (kick-off this Sunday at 5:15 PM at Stade du Moustoir). It’s an opportunity for the Gym to get back on track and regain some confidence that’s so desperately needed by this group. It’s also an occasion to put an end to three consecutive defeats in Ligue 1. Week after week, the Aiglons are dropping in the standings. The Azurian club is losing a lot of ground on its main competitors in the race for European spots.
Nice needs to move forward
Dante is unlikely to make this trip to Brittany. Still struggling with his physical condition, the Aiglons’ captain relapsed against Porto while making his return to competition as a starter against the Portuguese. Before the last quarter of an hour of play, the defender of OGC Nice had to be replaced by Kojo Oppong, apparently suffering from a knee issue, as has often been the case since the start of the season. At 42 years old, the Brazilian is experiencing a last season of his career with many personal and collective struggles.
As for the rest, Franck Haise maintains a group relatively similar to the one at his disposal in recent weeks. Mohamed Abdelmonem, Youssouf Ndayishimiye, and Moïse Bombito are still in the infirmary. Meanwhile, Hicham Boudaoui also made his return to competition this Thursday. The Algerian international could find himself in a starting position this weekend.
Meanwhile, FC Lorient is fully engaged in the battle to avoid relegation and currently occupies the 17th place in Ligue 1, a provisional playoff position. The newly promoted team is experiencing a complicated first half of the season and is on a streak of seven league matches without a win. Last weekend, the Merlus conceded a draw late in the game at FC Nantes (1-1).
Probable line-ups:
Lorient: Mvogo – Meité, Talbi, Yongwa – Le Bris, Avom, Cadiou, Kouassi – Pagis, Tosin, Karim
Nice: Diouf – Mendy, Bah, Oppong – Clauss, Vanhoutte, Boudaoui, Bard – Diop, Moffi, Cho
