It is a perilous journey ahead for the eaglets who, although coming off a defeat against the Parisian giant, have regained their form before going to challenge Saint-Etienne in a cauldron that is likely to be overheated after the derby win last Sunday in Lyon.
Although not impossible, the mission to bring back at least a point from the Green Hell this afternoon starting at 2 PM will be very difficult. Comfortably holding 4th place in the rankings, the Stéphanois are just six points behind Lille and could close the gap to three points if they win against OGC Nice.
Deprived of the injured Dario Cvitanich, Claude Puel will, however, be able to count on the return of Abriel, who was injured against Bastia and resumed training this week. Returning also to the list are Luigi Bruins and Gautier Lloris, who were left available for the Gym’s reserves last weekend. Once again, it will be the “young talents” card that the Nice coach should play. But, considering their recent performances, it seems they are fortunate to be able to rely on players like Bauthéac and Bosetti when others are lagging behind, or even significantly behind.
No doubt one of the pieces of advice the coach will give his protégés is to play and enjoy themselves. Certainly, last year the toll was heavy (4-0), but during the four preceding years, it is the Gym that managed to triumph at Geoffroy Guichard (2-3, 0-2, 0-2, and 0-1).
For the current 14th-placed Niçois: A win secures them the tenth place, a draw ensures the eleventh place, but in case of a defeat, and if Nantes wins in Monaco, the eaglets could even lose a spot to find themselves in 15th position.
That’s for the accounting part, now it remains to play the game!
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