It’s back to action for OGC Nice! After a great victory against Lens at home (2-1), the Aiglons finished the mid-season in a brilliant second place in the standings. After a two-week break, the championship resumes with a trip to Brittany.
This Sunday at 1 PM against Stade Brestois, the Gym will return from this winter break. Having won the first leg at home with a score of 2-1, OGC Nice will face a team much stronger than the one they faced last October.
Indeed, back then, Brest came to Nice with the status of next-to-last in the championship. But this defeat against the Aiglons served as a catalyst for the Bretons. After this loss, SB29 suffered only one defeat in Montpellier in 12 matches and upset the big teams in the championship (1-1 against Lille, 2-0 against Monaco, 4-0 against Lens, 2-1 against Marseille). Brest also ended the year in style with a 3-0 victory against Bordeaux.
With the added advantage of playing at home, conditions seem more favorable for Stade Brestois, who will undoubtedly be eager to take revenge for the October defeat.
We must be wary of several Breton players in great form. Romain Faivre, the playmaker of this team, is one of the best attacking midfielders in the championship (7 goals/3 assists). Former Nice player Franck Honorat, trained at the club, has scored 6 goals and provided 3 assists, along with the young midfielder Lucien Agoumé, on loan from Inter Milan.
On the Nice side, there is hope to see a Justin Kluivert as explosive as he was against Lens, and to have Amine Gouiri in top form as at the start of the season. The defense will also need to be at its best to stop a confident attack. They will have to manage without two important players who have left for the Africa Cup of Nations: Youcef Atal and Mario Lemina.
In this match, we might see the return of Jordan Amavi in the azure jersey. The OM defender has been loaned to Nice to replace Kamara’s departure to Watford.
The probable line-ups:
Stade Brestois 29 in 4-4-2:
Bizot – Pierre-Gabriel, Chardonnet, Herelle, Duverne – Faivre, Lasne, Agoumé, Honorat – Le Douaron or Cardona, Mounié or Cardona
OGC Nice in 4-4-2:
Benitez – Lotomba, Todibo, Dante, Bard – Boudaoui or Stengs, Thuram, Rosario, Kluivert – Delort or Dolberg – Gouiri or Dolberg.
