It won’t be an easy match for Eric Roy’s team, who are heading to the Champagne region tomorrow to face the 16th place team in Ligue 2, Stade de Reims, in the quarterfinals of the Coupe de France. The match will be played in front of a full stadium, as only a few hundred tickets were left by the end of yesterday.
Lagging behind after 25 league days, Hubert Fournier’s men hope to continue their journey in the Coupe de France against the Eagles, having already defeated strong teams like Montpellier (1-0), Clermont (1-3), and the solid Rennes team on their home ground (3-4).
On the Nice side, Eric Roy will have to deal with injuries (Hellebuyck, Paisley, and Traoré) and two suspended players (Clerc and Diakité). Therefore, the Nice coach can rely on a group of 18 players, even though Pejcinovic and Paisley seem to still be slightly troubled by their physical issues (a bruise in Saint-Etienne for the former and a contracture for the latter). Sure, the positive result in the cauldron of Saint-Etienne lifted the spirits of the Nice team, partially erasing the disappointment at Ray against PSG, but Reims also had a somewhat positive end of the week with a good draw from Nantes.
Two teams will present themselves with perhaps not the highest confidence due to their poor standings in their respective championships. However, they would love to glimpse a new bright spot in the form of a Coupe de France semifinal, a tournament that has often smiled upon these two teams—Stade de Reims having won it twice in 1950 and 1959, and OGC Nice three times in 1952, 1954, and 1997.
The stage is set, and there is no doubt that the battle is likely to be fierce at the Auguste Delaune stadium, which will regain its former glory with an encounter that delighted Champagne supporters in the 50s and 60s. It remains to be seen whether the Ligue 1 or Ligue 2 resident will continue their journey, accompanying the winners of the other three matches: Chambery (CFA2) – Angers (Ligue 2), Paris Saint-Germain (Ligue 1) – Le Mans (Ligue 2), and Lille (Ligue 1) – Lorient (Ligue 1).
The Nice team
Goalkeepers: Letizi, Ospina
Defenders: Cantareil, Civelli, Coulibaly, Gace, Mabiala, Pejcinovic
Midfielders: Ben Saada, Digard, Faé, Palun, Sablé
Forwards: Bellion, Ljuboja, Mouloungui, Mounier, Quansah
