OGC Nice at the starting blocks of a new season

We are just a few days away from the start of the Ligue 1 championship, which will see the Aiglons begin the season against a newly-promoted team, SM Caen. This team has not done too badly against OGC Nice in the past. Out of six encounters, Nice has won once, drawn three times, and only suffered two defeats. However, it is important to be wary of Franck Dumas’ men, who have bolstered their squad in the off-season with players such as Karl Svensson from Glasgow Rangers, Benjamin Nivet from Troyes, and the Tunisian Issam Jemaa from Lens. Caen finished second in Ligue 2 behind Strasbourg last year, with 19 wins, 14 draws, and 5 losses.

But OGC Nice’s toughest opponent remains itself, and even though internal conflicts seem to be a thing of the past, one should be cautious of dormant issues in a club that desperately needs to continue in calm and serenity to avoid a repeat of last year’s catastrophic start to the season, which forced the Aiglons to battle hard throughout the entire season to retain their place in Ligue 1.

In the meantime, Frédéric Antonetti’s beloved Nice squad continues to prepare for their debut while keeping an eye on the transfer market, which could see the arrival of Yann Lachuer, Boukary Dramé, or possibly the return of former Nice player Eric Cubilier. As for results, a fine victory against the always formidable Bordeaux team (1-0 with a goal by Bamogo), another against the Romanian side Arges Pitesti (1-0 with a goal by Ederson), and two draws against Fréjus (0-0) and the Swiss team Thun (1-1). These results show that the Nice defense is in good shape, as is their goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris, who once again delivered superb performances in the Nice goal. The question remains whether the offensive effectiveness will be present in the upcoming matches. A final warm-up match against Lille is scheduled for Saturday, July 28th, in Le Touquet, followed by an official team presentation for subscribers on July 31st at the Stade du Ray, leading up to the big jump into the new chapter of a Ligue 1 season that Nice hopes will end better than last year’s.

Kick-off is set for August 4th for the first act of the new Nice vintage, which everyone hopes will become a great vintage.