OGC Nice will host Olympique Lyonnais this Sunday at the Allianz Riviera (kickoff at 9 PM) as part of the 24th day of Ligue 1.
This is an opportunity for the Nice team, in ninth place, to get closer to the top 5. But on the other hand, Lyon is in a good dynamic.
9th. That’s the position the Gym occupies at the dawn of the 24th day of Ligue 1. The azurean club is just 2 points behind the 5th place, Montpellier. Hosting Lyon (3rd with 43 points) gives Nice the chance to latch onto the leading pack. “We can and want to stay in the top 10,” says goalkeeper Walter Benitez.
A gala match between two top-table teams. Nice comes off a victory at the Groupama Stadium in the first leg (0-1) after a match where the “eagles’” goalkeeper shone with no less than nine decisive saves. The last match in Nice is a bad memory: a clear victory for OL (5-0) last season. “The first leg match should serve us. It’s a reference match in solidarity, teamwork, and realism. We’ll have to put the same ingredients back,” explains coach Patrick Vieira. It should be noted that in the first leg, Nice had one shot on target for… a goal by Allan Saint-Maximin. Meanwhile, Lyon will arrive at the Allianz Riviera in great form. After beating Paris-Saint-Germain 2-1 last Sunday (the first defeat in the championship for the capital club), the Lyon team continued in the French Cup by qualifying for the quarter-finals (victory at Guingamp 2-1). A positive series 10 days before hosting FC Barcelona in the Champions League.
“They are on a good streak. They will come with confidence. We will have to be rigorous (…) They are dangerous up front because they have great offensive qualities. They are a giant of Europe,” underlines the coach of the “Aiglons.”
“It’s a big match. But we know what to do. We want to play well and win to make up for last week’s match,” says the Argentinian goalkeeper, Walter Benitez.
Forget the thrashing at Lille
This match against Lyon also allows the men of the new president Gauthier Ganaye to quickly turn the page from Lille. Beaten soundly at Pierre Mauroy last Friday (4-0), Benitez’s teammates owe the fans a comeback. “It’s already forgotten, but we want to have a great game.” “We were completely overwhelmed by this Lille team. Many ingredients were missing that need to be put on the field on Sunday: solidarity, generosity, and aggressiveness,” continues coach Vieira.
One thing is certain, no matter the result on Sunday night, Nice will be in the top 10 for this 24th day of the championship.
