At the start of the final month of competition, OGC Nice is assured of a podium finish but can still aim higher. This will involve overcoming the Lorrain obstacle, which is not yet secured in Ligue 1.
A week before their trip to the French Riviera, Pablo Correa’s men reassured themselves with a convincing victory against Rennes (3-0). “Sure, Rennes was not having its best day,” admits the red-and-black coach. “But it’s 3-0. And against Lorient (2-3) and then Lille (1-2) before that, they lost surprisingly, even though they were leading. I even saw their match in Nantes, where they won by scoring two goals (0-2 during the 23rd matchday). That says it all. Considering their situation, they will be fierce. They will be very difficult to bypass, let’s not kid ourselves.”
Even if his Eagles are at the doorstep of the podium, the Nice coach does not intend to depart from the philosophy that got them there: “We play all matches to win them, that’s our mantra. We need to be really ‘top-concentrated’ on our game, in all aspects: pressing them, high and in the middle, and disrupting them. It’s not going to be easy, we already know that. We must continue with our own philosophy. We need to focus on Nancy. Being 3rd is magnificent, but we must continue to progress, even if the season is nearing its end.”
The absentees
Suspended against the Lorrains, Mario Balotelli is not on the list, nor are the long-term injured players Wylan Cyprien and Alassane Pléa. Additionally, in recovery phase, captain Paul Baysse and Mounir Obbadi are not fit for this match.
On the Nancy side, the group is almost complete. Operated on earlier this week for a bicep detachment, Muratori is out, as well as Badila and N’Guessan.
The Nice squad
Goalkeepers: Cardinale, Benitez
Defenders: Burner, Dalbert, Dante, Le Marchand, Ricardo, Sarr, Souquet
Midfielders: Belhanda, Eysseric, Koziello, Marcel, Seri, Walter
Forwards: Donis, Le Bihan, Srarfi
The Nancy squad
Chernik, Ndy Assembe, Cuffaut, Cétout, Chrétien, Diagne, Cabaco, Guidileye, Pedretti, Diarra, Aït Bennasser, Marchetti, Dia, Puyo, Hadji, Dalé, Koura, Robic
The referee
This duel against the Lorrains will be refereed by Mikael Lesage, assisted on the sidelines by Frédéric Cano and Sébastien Denis.
