“We are conquerors.” In the corridors of the Parc des Princes following Nice’s victory over PSG, Captain Echouafni seemed determined. Frédéric Antonetti’s men revolted at dropping to eleventh place in the standings just before their match against the Parisians. Pauleta’s goal, allowing the capital city’s team to take the lead, served as a wake-up call. Two outstanding performances later, thanks to Baky Koné and Ederson, and the club from Nice climbed to sixth place. Several conclusions: firstly, the 2007/2008 L1 season is utterly unpredictable. The ups and downs are constant, and the standings from one day seldom carry over, except for Lyon and Metz. A second takeaway, particularly relevant to Nice, is that the team has character and determination. Given the recent results, one might wonder if the eagles were coasting at this late stage of the season, thinking, “No need to go all out, just play for fun; we’ll stay at the top of the standings even in neutral gear,” whether consciously or subconsciously. The sound of revolt seems to have rung out in Paris last Sunday. Confirmation needs to come this Saturday with the reception of their neighboring rivals from Monaco.
The players from the principality will attempt to snatch a point or more if possible. There are five matchdays left, and the Monégasques are only five points ahead of Strasbourg (19th) and Paris SG (18th). The equation is simple for Ricardo and his squad. Additionally, there’s the “derby effect.” A win for either team will undoubtedly impact their performance in the final matches. The schedule is daunting: Bordeaux, Lyon, Valenciennes, and Caen for Nice; Marseille, Lens, Auxerre, and Saint Etienne for Monaco. These are matches that could go one way or the other, depending on the mentality.
Nice struggles at home in their fortress at the Ray. Monaco is more comfortable away from the Stade Louis II. The derbies between clubs from the Côte d’Azur always offer fans unpredictable matches. At the first leg, a 1-1 draw with a last-minute equalizer by Nice’s Lilian Laslandes marked the debut of their new camouflage jerseys. Last year, Monégasque Jaroslav Plasil equalized ten minutes from time. One hardly dares to recall the 4-3 win for Nice or the 1-0 victory in the Coupe de la Ligue semi-final, as these matches seem etched in collective memory.
Will Saturday’s match be memorable? The answer will come Saturday at 10PM, with either Nice’s conquest of Europe or Monaco’s struggle to remain in L1.
