This year, the match will be of utmost importance as if Nice were to defeat Le Mans, they would snatch fifth place in the standings from the men coached by Rudy Garcia.
Nice and Le Mans are separated by just a single point, and it is certain that the unfortunate semi-finalist of the League Cup (lost to Lens 4-5 a.e.t.) will not come to Nice to lose any points, especially after dropping three at home against Strasbourg (0-1). Recent league victories against Lyon (1-0) and at Valenciennes (0-1) are already stored in the good memories of a MUC 72 that would like to continue filling that section with a good result on the Côte d’Azur. It is not certain that Frédéric Antonetti and his team see it that way, and it is with their now usual determination that the survivors of the green cauldron prepare the welcoming committee in red and black.
If the defense has proven itself at Lens and St Etienne, it is the attack that has been struggling lately with only four goals in the last eight matches. With two losses in two home games against Marseille (0-2) and Auxerre (1-2), OGC Nice cannot afford any more mistakes, or they risk losing the sweet European dream that began to seem achievable at the end of last January. Nonetheless, the new impetus, after one particular match in Marseille, may occur this Saturday at the Ray hill, provided that the eagles regain the automatisms and realism they had at the beginning of the year.
There are still eleven matchdays left before the close of this new edition of Ligue 1, and Nice has a busy yet not too perilous schedule with games at Metz (15/03), at home against Lorient (22/03), at Sochaux (30/03), at home against Lille (05/04), at Paris (12/04), at home against Monaco (19/04), at Bordeaux (26/04), at home against Lyon (03/05), at Valenciennes (10/05), and at home against Caen (17/05). These are all opportunities to gather points and sometimes to snatch them from better-ranked teams, with the hope of once again experiencing the delightful scent of Europe. However, the priority this Saturday is the arrival of Le Mans and thwarting the onset of a losing streak at home, which remains the only blemish on an otherwise quality red and black season that just awaits the cherry on the cake.
