OGC Nice – Le Havre: The Gym is no longer sovereign on its own ground

This Sunday, OGC Nice hosts Le Havre on the occasion of matchday 29 of Ligue 1. Facing a direct competitor in the fight for survival, the Eagles are still in urgent need of picking up points. To do this, they will have to win at home, something Claude Puel’s players have not done in the league since the end of October. All the pre-match information for this bottom-of-the-table clash can be found here.

Taking points at the Allianz Riviera has almost become a habit for opposing teams in recent months. This season, Toulouse, Paris FC, Marseille, Angers, Strasbourg, Brest, Monaco, Lorient, Rennes and Paris Saint-Germain have managed to leave the Nice fortress with at least a point. For some, this was even achieved with style and a flood of goals. On the eve of matchday 29, OGC Nice has only the 15th record in Ligue 1 at home with just four wins in the league, in front of their supporters. Under Claude Puel, the record becomes even more dramatic. Since the return of the Azure Coast coach at the beginning of the year, the Gym has never won on their home soil in L1. The two home wins in Puel’s second stint took place in the Europa League – in a match where there was no longer any sporting stakes – and in the French Cup, where the Eagles narrowly overcame Montpellier, without having been pressured for long by the Ligue 2 side.

You have to go back a bit to find trace of a home win in Ligue 1 for OGC Nice. At the end of last October, the Eagles had managed to win against LOSC (2-0). For almost six months, red and black supporters have been waiting to taste victory again. In this difficult period, the Populaire Sud – the Gym’s most loyal ultras – has urged their own not to give up and to come to the stadium this weekend. Through a statement, the group calls for mobilization: “Today, only we remain. More than ever we must unite as we have already done in the past. This fight for survival is ours.”

The danger is getting closer to Nice

In a breathtaking end to the season, this Nice vs Le Havre (match kicks off this Sunday at 5:15 PM at the Allianz Riviera) now takes on very particular stakes. Because this duel will pit two direct competitors in the fight for survival against each other. The danger is getting closer and has never been closer to the Eagles. Five points last week, four this weekend, that is now the gap separating OGC Nice and AJ Auxerre, the playoff team, in the standings. And AJA faces FC Nantes – first in the relegation zone – this Saturday. In other words, Juma Bah’s teammates could very quickly find themselves under huge pressure.

For this match, Claude Puel will be without his captain, Dante. The Brazilian – who came on during the match against Strasbourg last weekend – is feeling discomfort in his calf and is not in a position to play consecutively. A situation that has become almost habitual this season on the Côte d’Azur. While the return of Peprah Oppong is hoped for in the defensive sector, they will still have to manage without Youssouf Ndayishimiye. The Burundian international will serve his second match of suspension after receiving a red card in the heavy defeat to PSG (0-4).

Across from them, Le Havre occupies 14th place in Ligue 1, with only one point ahead of Nice. HAC, like its weekend opponent, has not yet secured its survival mathematically. For more than eighteen months, the Normans have been managed with an iron hand by Didier Digard. The former midfielder had previously played for the Eagles (2010-2015) during his playing career. He was notably managed by a certain… Claude Puel. The Norman coach will face his mentor on the occasion of this decisive encounter in the battle for the bottom of the Ligue 1 table.

Probable lineups:

OGC Nice: Diouf – Clauss, Oppong (or Mendy), Bah, Bard – Sanson (C), Boudaoui, Vanhoutte – Diop, Wahi, Cho

Le Havre: Diaw – Nego, Sangante (C), Lloris, Zouaoui – Gourna-Douath, Seko, Ndiaye – Boufal, Samatta, Soumaré.