Certainly, you have to go back to the 2006-2007 season to find a victory for Nice in a Nice-Lille match, which has seen the northerners win in the last two seasons (0-1 and 0-2). However, the Lille team, who started strong on the first day with a nice victory in Saint-Etienne (1-2), seems to show a slight loss of form with a draw on their new pitch against Nancy (1-1) and a defeat in the first leg of the Champions League preliminary round against FC Copenhagen (1-0).
And, the obligation for Rudi Garcia’s men to turn the tide against the tough Norwegians next Wednesday on their home turf could be a good opportunity for the “eaglets,” who are hoping for a first home victory to definitively kick-start their season. Exciting battles in prospect at Stade du Ray under a summer heat that is likely to strain the bodies with a match scheduled to start at 5 PM due to broadcast on the encrypted channel. But no decoders are needed for Claude Puel’s men, and only the three points are in the crosshairs of the azuréens, who are determined to make up for their first misstep at home against their island neighbors.
Regarding the squad, there are still no updates on the negotiations with Olympique Lyonnais regarding the potential arrivals of Pied and Grenier in exchange for Monzon (also sought by Fiorentina in Italy), nor any significant progress on the departures of Ospina and Raul, consequently prolonging the non-qualification of Dario Cvitanich. A shame for the red and black’s forward line that would have liked to take advantage of the talent of the Argentinian striker, coming from Ajax Amsterdam, who must almost be starting to feel restless.
This morning, a final public training session will begin at 9 AM at Stade Charles Ehrmann, while tomorrow, Friday, the final warm-up before the match will take place behind closed doors. A wary Claude Puel before facing a team with whom he won the Intertoto Cup in 2004 before being crowned Vice-Champion of France the following year. That’s what you call experience…
