After fifteen days of international break, OGC Nice hosts Stade de Reims for a mid-table match. The Eagles are on a run of three matches without a win, including a recent defeat at Evian (1-0) without showing a sparkling form. Reims, in tenth place, could be the ideal opponent to find the path back to success.
It’s already been four weeks since Nice last tasted victory. And that evening of October 26, Carlos Eduardo dazzled the Guingamp-Nice match with his class, delivering five goals. Since then, Nice has been knocked out of the Coupe de la Ligue by Metz (3-3, 2-3 on penalties), fallen to a strong Lyon team (1-3), before being beaten by Evian (1-0). Needless to say, the match against Reims, also mid-table in Ligue 1, is crucial to get back on track. A win is almost necessary as the first relegation spot is only five points away and Nice will travel to Paris in a week.
And the Eagles have not been spared by injuries. Key players, Mathieu Bodmer and Didier Digard, are still unavailable. Two new players have joined the infirmary this week, Neal Maupay with an ankle injury from training and playmaker Carlos Eduardo struggling with a calf issue. Also missing are Eric Bauthéac and Lloyd Palun, suspended for receiving three yellow cards in 10 matches. Coach Claude Puel’s squad, missing several key players, does see the return of Niklas Hult, who had a cervical injury during the Nice-Bastia game.
“I feel much better. The break allowed me to work physically and with the ball. This will be my second match, and I hope to be effective and score goals,” declares Dario Cvitanich on the club’s official website.
On the Reims side, spirits are high after the August-September crisis. Second to last at the end of September, Jean-Luc Vasseur’s men, who were briefly under threat, have lifted their heads since then. Stade de Reims is on a run of four matches without defeat in the league, including an impressive draw at Monaco (1-1) and a win against Lille (2-0). The positive momentum is clearly with the Champagne team. However, Reims travels to Nice without its two key in-form players. Forward Gaëtan Charbonnier is suspended, and Benjamin Moukandjo, the club’s top scorer with 4 goals, is out due to an ankle injury.
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