OGC Nice hosts Montpellier this Saturday evening (8 PM), ranked 7th with the same number of points (13), in pursuit of a third consecutive victory. They were in good form last week, with two impressive victories against Lille and in Monaco, and the Nice team wants to maintain their good momentum and secure their position in the standings.
Things are looking better, much better within OGC Nice. Ten days after the intervention of the president, Jean-Pierre Rivère, the team has regained its color. A convincing victory against Lille (1-0) and the win in the derby against Monaco (1-0) showcased a more accomplished match. Before the 9th day, Nice stands at 8th place in the standings with 13 points, two points behind 3rd place Lille, and six points ahead of Evian, in 17th place and the first to be relegated.
However, be cautious with Montpellier, sitting just above in the rankings (7th, 4 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses) as they are not an opponent to be underestimated. With only four goals conceded in eight matches, the Hérault club has the second-best defense behind Lille, defeated at the Allianz Riviera 15 days ago… Rolland Courbis, the Hérault coach, relies on experienced players such as Vitorino Hilton, Souleymane Camara, and Kevin Berigaud. The visit of Montpellier will be an opportunity to see Anthony Mounier again, a former Nice player from 2009 to 2012, and a key figure at the start of the season.
“On the road, Montpellier is very solid, they make efforts together and are hard to move. I expect my players to show great commitment after two very good games where we displayed play, involvement, and an interesting level of play volume,” admitted Claude Puel in a press meeting this week.
On the Nice side, the long-term injured players (Cvitanich and Traoré) are still absent, and unfortunately, Romain Genevois, suffering from a muscle strain during training, is also out, alongside the young Albert, who is not yet recovered from his knee injury. Genevois’s absence could be significant as his pairing with Mathieu Bodmer was working wonderfully. The revelations of this season’s beginning are indeed present: Jordan Amavi, the perfect replacement for Kolodziejczak who left for Seville, “Papy” Mendy, irreplaceable in the midfield, and Carlos Eduardo, who has been showing his real potential over the last 3 to 4 matches.
“I play where the coach tells me. For me, the most important thing is to be on the field and to help my teammates. I must say I was impressed by the supporters, I did not expect that,” said Carlos Eduardo during his first press appearance last Wednesday.
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