After a good result in Saint Etienne, OGC Nice welcomes Lorient with the goal of breaking into the top 10. Deprived of several players including Bosetti, Cvitanich, and Digard, Claude Puel will have to rely on the young players from the CFA. A positive thing for the future.
At Geoffroy Guichard, the Red and Blacks experienced both the euphoria and frustration of a last-minute equalizer. Upset with the referee, Digard’s teammates have the opportunity to “get revenge” against the Bretons this evening.
Beyond a victory, this match will also be a chance to end the season well. Without pressure or a real goal, Nice simply wants to give pleasure to its supporters.
Opposite, Lorient, 3 points behind, is in a similar situation. It’s difficult for Gourcuff’s men to get motivated. The Lorient players will surely be tempted to secure their stay in the league at home. In Brittany, there’s more talk about the current coach leaving than about the current season. Excellent against the stronger teams, FC Lorient has been much less successful against supposedly weaker teams. This is partly due to slumps characterized by interminable winless streaks.
Paradoxically, the club from the West has also had its very good moments. During one of those, in November, OGC Nice conceded three goals on Lorient’s synthetic pitch. These days are less rosy. With only 1 win in the last 11 matches, Lorient is coasting. They will arrive at the Allianz Riviera as underdogs. But, beware of the resurgence of the short-pass game advocated by the mathematician Gourcuff. Nice has been warned. With 6 matches left in the league, places in the top 10 will be hard-fought.
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