It’s a tough start for Claude Puel’s men as they must take on a formidable opponent in the sanctuary of Gerland against an Olympique Lyonnais team that has just qualified for the Champions League but recently lost Lisandro Lopez.
However, these won’t be the only concerns for Rémi Garde, the Lyon coach, who will also have to deal with suspensions for Bakary Koné, Samuel Umtiti, and Maxime Gonalons, as well as Mouhamadou Dabo’s injury. Like his Lyon counterpart, Claude Puel will also have to do without his suspended players, which include Kolodziejczak, Mendy, and Cvitanich. A real headache for both coaches when it comes to picking their starting eleven.
On the European front, both clubs are riding a wave of good news, with Lyon qualifying for the group stage of the Champions League and for Nice, a pleasant surprise with the elimination of several favorites last night, thus allowing the Aiglons to narrowly make it (29th out of 31) among the seeded teams for the draw on Friday at noon, which will determine the matchups for the Play-Off round scheduled for August 22 and 29. There is no doubt that both teams will be keenly following the various draws taking place at the UEFA headquarters today at 1 pm.
But let’s return to Ligue 1 and this clash between “Europeans.”
The duel promises to be exciting, and while statistics tend to favor the Gones, we know how Nice managed to prove them wrong regularly last year. And Claude Puel is well aware of this and will keep it in mind when putting down the names of his favorites on the team sheet. August is going to be a very busy month for him and his team with three league matches (in Lyon, at home against Rennes, and in Ajaccio) and two Europa League matches. It’s going to be more about enduring than running during this period of high temperatures, often harsh on the body.
The meeting is therefore set for tomorrow from 9 pm in the Gerland Sanctuary to see if the 2013/2014 OGC Nice version can shake or even topple one of the favorites of a new championship that promises to be one of the most open yet!
On your marks, get set….
Europa League: Nice will face Limassol
The draw for the Europa League Play-Off has just been finalized at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon. OGC Nice will face Apollon Limassol (Cyprus). The first leg will be on Thursday, August 22, with the return match in Nice on Thursday, August 29.
The opponent in brief
Club: Apollon Limassol
City: Limassol
Country: Cyprus
Distance from Nice: 2400 km
Stadium: Tsirion Stadium (13,000 seats)
Last season: Cyprus Cup winner, 6th in the championship
Previous rounds: entry in Play-Off
