This Wednesday evening, the Eagles are hosting Lens, as part of the 17th round of Ligue 1, at the Allianz Riviera. The Nice team wants to finish the year 2023 on a positive note, in front of their home crowd.
Ending the year with a victory is OGC Nice’s final goal for the end of 2023. The Gym wants to bounce back, [after their defeat at Le Havre (3-1)](https://www.nicepremium.fr/ogcn-football/le-havre-ogc-nice-la-passe-de-deux-pour-le-gym/), last weekend. The Nice team welcomes Lens in this last day of the first half of the 2023/2024 Ligue 1 season. After a difficult start to the season, Lens sits in 7th place in the standings. The match kicks off at 9 p.m.
Absences on both sides
This Monday morning, Francesco Farioli was present for the traditional pre-match press conference. The Italian coach emphasized the importance of winning this match: *“We must lift our heads and regain our spirit. We must not forget our objective of being in Europe and this match against Lens is fundamental in our journey.”* The Nice coach will be without J-C Todibo, suspended after his red card at Le Havre. This is also the case for Youssouf Ndayishimyie, after accumulating yellow cards.
Khephren Thuram, Aliou Baldé (knee), Sofiane Diop (foot), and Badredine Bouanani (ankle) are also out. Missing from the lineup at Le Havre, Terem Moffi is uncertain. *“We hope to have him back, but we won’t take any unreasonable risks. If the player feels up to it, he will be part of the match, otherwise, we’ll manage without him,”* explained Francesco Farioli concerning the Nigerian forward.
Opposite, Franck Haise also has a few absentees to account for. Kevin Danso and Jonathan Gradit, two key players in the northern defense, are suspended. Nampalys Mendy, a former Gym player, is injured and will miss this match.
Probable line-ups:
OGC Nice: Bulka – Bard, Dante, Rosario, Lotomba – Boudaoui, Sanson, Claude-Maurice – Boga, Guessand, Laborde
RC Lens: Samba – Haidara, Medina, Khusanov – Frankowski, Abdul Samed, El Aynaoui, Aguilar – Sotoca, Wahi, Thomasson
