Traveling to Toulouse, Nice is anticipating a difficult match. Despite their recent good performance, caution is advised given their poor away record. Nice can still draw inspiration from their trip to Lille to hope for one or more points against a solid Ligue 1 team.
Impressive on home ground in recent games, OGC Nice wants to confirm their good start to the season on the road. To achieve this, they can rely on past encounters between the two teams at Toulouse’s stadium. Nice has not lost away in Toulouse since the 2006/2007 season with a 1-0 defeat. Historically, the record is quite positive for Nice with 10 draws and 7 wins out of 32 matches between the two teams.
This could allow them to approach the game calmly from a mental perspective, one might think. But, the reality on the field is quite different. Toulouse, after a catastrophic start to the season resulting in 20th place by the 4th day, is no longer the same team and is aiming for the top 10. The draw against Marseille and the victories against Saint-Etienne and Lorient prove the improvement in all aspects for the men under coach Casanova. Heavily changed during the off-season, the Toulouse squad saw many new arrivals (Trejo, Braithwaite, Spahic…) replacing many key players (Tabanou, Capoue, Sissoko…). These changes are hard to digest despite quality recruitment.
However, when Nice goes to challenge the Toulouse side, the South-West team appears solid and difficult to maneuver. In need of points, Toulouse harbors ambitions beyond mere survival and needs to assert themselves. From the perspective of Claude Puel’s team, the speed and attacking prowess of Bruls, Cvitanich, or Mendy will be an undeniable advantage against the tall Toulouse players. It’s also a great opportunity to build the team’s spirit and prove their status in case of a positive result.
