After three consecutive victories, OGC Nice travels this Saturday (8 p.m.) to Metz. On the field of the bottom-ranked team, the Eagles, with great confidence, can continue their climb in the standings. However, the match against Metz will be no walk in the park.
From everything to nothing. That pretty much sums up the current situation for Nice. In significant difficulty before the winter break and upon their return (defeat at Lens and Valenciennes), OGC Nice has been riding the wave of success since that post-defeat meeting in the North. “We talked, we said what needed to be said. We couldn’t continue on that path,” admitted Valentin Eysseric, Alassane Plea, and Eric Bauthéac one after the other.
The victory against Marseille (2-1), playing with 10 men against 11 for 40 minutes, definitively launched the second half of the Eagles’ season. Claude Puel’s men demonstrated efficiency, character, and displayed some very beautiful plays. A benchmark game, in short. This Metz-Nice match could have been, two months ago, a match filled with fear. But this Saturday, 8th place Nice will play against the 20th and last team in Ligue 1.
“We are not going to start speculating when we are 8th in Ligue 1. Everything moves quickly, and we could quickly fall back into the lower half of the table. But for a young group, it’s better to evolve in this framework. It’s important to make a small series; I emphasize small, but all this requires confirmation,” confesses Claude Puel.
On both sides, the list of absentees has grown during the week. In Nice, Kevin Gomis, harshly expelled against OM, will serve his suspension. Bodmer and Digard, struggling with their calves, remain in the infirmary. However, Lloyd Palun, eliminated with his Gabon team from the CAN, might return to the group. For the Lorrains, Guido Milan has been suspended for two matches. He will be in the stands, as will Florent Malouda, who sustained a hamstring injury in Lyon last Sunday. Also missing are the Africans still competing in the CAN: Doukouré, Maiga, Kashi, and Sassi.
For the Grenats, nothing is going right. Albert Cartier’s men have not won in Ligue 1 since November 1 (3-2 against Caen), which spans 9 matchdays. FC Metz owes its salvation only to the Coupe de France with hard-fought victories against Epinal (2-1) and Avranches (3-0 a.p.). Promoted to L1 this season, Metz started the season well but has undeniably been slipping in the standings since November.
“Metz is a team that needs points. They obstructed our play, and we will need to be even more committed than against OM. In this championship, the margin between a win and a loss is very slim,” explained Claude Puel during the press briefing on Thursday.
Nice and Metz have already faced each other twice this season in two very contested matches. In the championship, Bosetti gave his team the victory in the 95th minute due to a blunder by Milan. Metz took their revenge in the Coupe de la Ligue. After a spectacular match, the Lorrains eliminated Nice 3-3 then 3-2 on penalties. The decider promises to be close.
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