This Sunday, OGC Nice hosts Paris FC as part of the 5th day of Ligue 1. After two consecutive losses in all competitions, the Gym hopes to bounce back and move forward against the Parisian newcomers. All the pre-match information for this encounter can be found here.
Is the 3-4-3, so dear to Franck Haise, the ideal playing system for OGC Nice? The legitimate question arises after the more than sluggish start of the season by the Aiglons in their results (already 6 defeats in 8 matches across all competitions), as well as in their performance. While the Nice coach insists on this game plan—which he already used during his stint at Lens—it does not seem to correspond to the characteristics of the red and black group. On Wednesday, against AS Roma (1-2), despite the reinforcement of Morgan Sanson in the midfield, the teammates of Antoine Mendy were still very fragile defensively. In attack, it wasn’t much better. Too toothless, the Niçois never really threatened or challenged their Italian opponent.
Since his arrival at the club in the summer of 2024, Franck Haise has persisted in making his team play in his preferred system. The only exception occurred at the beginning of the year 2025, when OGC Nice played in a hybrid 4-4-2 diamond formation, due to the cascade of injuries affecting the Gym at that time. A change in system could be a consideration in light of this poor start to the Nice season, although it is unlikely to happen this weekend against Paris FC (kick-off of the match this Sunday at 5 PM, at the Allianz Riviera).
Bouncing Back and Moving Forward
As in recent weeks, the infirmary at OGC Nice is gradually emptying. Long-term injured players are slowly making their return to the Ligue 1 pitches. On Tuesday, Ali Abdi and Mohamed Ali Cho played their first official minutes of the 2025/26 season. Both men started the match on the bench before coming on as substitutes in the second half. It could soon be Moïse Bombito‘s turn. Returning to the squad against Roma, the Canadian remained on the bench.
Finally, Jonathan Clauss and Terem Moffi should return to the starting eleven for Nice. Late to a meeting earlier in the week, the two players were penalized against Roma. Neither the French international nor the Nigerian striker started the match.
On the other hand, Paris FC is making a decent start to the season upon their return to the elite. After two consecutive defeats in Ligue 1, PFC found its cruising rhythm. However, the team led by Stéphane Gilli saw their good run halted by Strasbourg (2-3) last week. After four rounds of L1, the teammates of Maxime Lopez find themselves in 11th place, just ahead of … Nice (the two teams having the same number of points).
Probable Line-ups:
Nice: Diouf – Mendy, Bah, Dante (C) – Clauss, Vanhoutte, Boudaoui, Bard – Cho, Moffi, Boga
Paris FC: Nkambadio – Traoré, Mbow, Otavio, Sangui – Lopez (C), Lees-Melou, Marchetti – Kebbal, Geubbels, Simon.
