It’s a direct opponent that the Eaglets will overtake in the standings in case of a victory, and that alone makes this Nice-Valenciennes one of the big matches of the 20th day of Ligue 1. Tied on points, both teams have 29 points on the board, woe to the loser!
And the men of the former Eaglet, Daniel Sanchez, will certainly not come to the Côte d’Azur as sacrificial victims after the disappointment in the 32nd round of the Coupe de France, where they fell to Istres after a penalty shootout (3-3 – 4 pens to 3). In the championship, the record is not much better because apart from the home victory in the 19th day, the Northerners suffered two defeats in as many matches (2-0 at Rennes and 0-4 at home against PSG). As a result, five places lost in the standings and morale at a low.
On the Nice side, the Coupe de France was more lenient for the Eaglets who qualified, though with difficulty, at Metz and followed up with convincing wins in the championship against PSG (2-1), Rennes (1-0), and Evian (3-2) with only one small blot in the last day of the year and a defeat at the home of Olympique Lyonnais (3-0). As for the squad, Claude Puel can count on a large majority of his players, including Valentin Eysseric whose purchase option has just been activated by the Azur club and Neal Maupay who has just signed his first professional contract.
Unfortunately, the Populaire Sud will sound empty for this match as it will be closed following the decision of the Disciplinary Committee. The subscribers of this stand will have the opportunity to watch the match from the Tribune Première Nord and the Tribune d’angle Première Nord-Seconde, usually reserved for visitors. To take advantage of these seats (at a single price of €5), go to the ticket office of Stade du Ray or the official store, 5 rue Lépante, starting tomorrow! 1 ticket per subscriber, the first 900 will automatically be relocated to the Tribune Première Nord, the following in the annex stand.
In other matches played last night, concerning the teams ahead of Nice in the standings: Lille shared the points at Nancy (2-2), Bordeaux won at Rennes (0-2) while Lorient fell at Montpellier (2-0). A victory for Nice and it would thus be a return to par with Rennes and Bordeaux, who occupy the 5th place in the Ligue 1 standings with 32 points.
Before going to Lille and hosting Bordeaux at Ray for two matches that will herald Europe, three points gained will not be up for grabs again!
