The Allianz Riviera is the setting tonight (9 PM) for the season’s top clash between OGC Nice and Paris Saint-Germain. A duel that few would have imagined at the start of the season.
The Opponent
With 80 points on the board (25 wins, 5 draws, 4 losses), Paris is neck and neck with Monaco – who still has one game less – at the top of the league. Eliminated from the Champions League by Barcelona (4-0; 1-6) but still in the running to claim all national crowns, Unai Emery’s men currently have a 6-point lead over the Aiglons, with 4 games remaining in the season.
The Parisian campaign is based – among other things – on a more than solid foundation. In Ligue 1, the capital club simply has the tightest defense, having conceded 23 goals since the start of the championship. That is 5 fewer than the Gym and ASM, who trail the Parisians in this 100% defensive hierarchy (28 goals conceded).
While the Parisian club officially announced this week the extension of its contract until 2020, Edinson Cavani is leading the table among the elite marksmen. Since August, the Uruguayan matador has made opponents’ nets shake… 31 times. In all competitions, he has scored 45 goals.
The Absentees
On Nice’s side, only Maxime Le Marchand, injured in Toulouse, is missing.
The major absentee from this match will be Hatem Ben Arfa, excluded from the group by the Parisian coach Unai Emery. Layvin Kurzawa, Javier Pastore, and Grzegorz Krychowiak also stayed in Paris.
The Nice Squad
Goalkeepers: Cardinale, Benitez
Defenders: Baysse, Dalbert, Dante, Ricardo, Sarr, Souquet
Midfielders: Belhanda, Eysseric, Koziello, Seri, Walter, Obbadi
Forwards: Balotelli, Donis, Le Bihan, Srarfi
The Parisian Squad
Goalkeepers: Aréola, Trapp
Defenders: Aurier, Kimpembe, Marquinhos, Maxwell, Meunier, Thiago Silva
Midfielders: Matuidi, Nkunku, Rabiot, Thiago Motta, Verratti, Di Maria, Lo Celso, Draxler, Guedes
Forwards: Cavani, Lucas
The Referee
The LFP has appointed Ruddy Buquet to referee Sunday’s clash against Paris Saint-Germain. He will be assisted by Frédéric Cano and Guillaume Debart.
