This Sunday, OGC Nice travels to play against Olympique Lyonnais, closing out the 22nd day of Ligue 1. In the league, the Gym’s recent trips to the Rhône have often been marred by refereeing controversies against the red and black. All the pre-match information of this clash can be found here.
This OL – OGC Nice is no longer just any away game in the Gym’s season! In recent years, the Eagles have often fallen victim to controversial refereeing decisions against them when visiting Lyon. The episode, or rather series, began in 2022. As Nice was about to win after a goal by Sofiane Diop, a generous penalty allowed the Gones and Alexandre Lacazette to equalize in the final moments of the match. This already triggered the uproar among red and black supporters. But it happened again the following season. Despite being dominant, the Niçois ultimately lost at the Parc OL (0-1), in a match marked by several clear penalty situations not awarded to the Azurean club. Subsequently, Jean-Pierre Rivère made a strong statement on that evening’s refereeing by Clément Turpin in front of the media, even calling the official an “arrogant person”.
The bad streak could have ended there. But there was yet another episode last season, once again on the pitch of OL. If there was nothing to complain about regarding the final score (4-1 in favor of the Gones), another penalty was overlooked when Evann Guessand, once again, was illegally held by his direct opponent. It was not enough for Bastien Dechepy, the match referee. A few days later, the refereeing directorate itself contradicted the official, confirming that the situation should have led to a penalty. The history is set. Naturally, the refereeing issue has resurfaced in recent days on the Côte d’Azur. In a press conference, Dante did not want to fall into conspiracy theories, although the captain of OGC Nice has not forgotten past episodes: “It had been a long time since I last saw so many refereeing errors. And all against us! There were also some in previous years. We really hope there will be a good match on Sunday. Certain facts need to be said and highlighted. I hope it doesn’t happen to us again.”
On his side, the Gym’s coach, Claude Puel, remained down-to-earth on the subject: “This kind of thing, you have to dismiss it very quickly, it doesn’t help. We must remain focused on ourselves and what we must and want to do.”
An opportunity to achieve a great away win
Beating OL, OGC Nice has already done it this season. In the first leg, the teammates of Mohamed-Ali Cho managed to win (3-2), despite a few scares in the final minutes of the match. The Eagles will need to apply the same ingredients this Sunday (kick-off at 8:45 PM at Groupama Stadium) to repeat the feat. One thing is certain, they will need to do better in all departments than they did last weekend and in the Côte d’Azur derby. Without being dazzling, the Gym secured a poor goalless draw against their Monegasque rival (0-0).
For this clash, Claude Puel is still without Moïse Bombito, Youssouf Ndayishimiye, Melvin Bard, and Mohamed Abdelmonem, long-term absentees due to injury. There is still uncertainty around Mohamed-Ali Cho, whose return was hoped for, in vain, last week during the derby. Finally, the Eagles’ coach is expected to maintain his confidence in Maxime Dupé as the Gym’s goalkeeper. The Frenchman seems to have surpassed Yehvann Diouf in the red and black coach’s thinking.
In contrast, OL is having an excellent season, occupying 3rd place in Ligue 1. The Gones can legitimately aim for a final podium spot in the championship. In the league, Paulo Fonseca‘s men haven’t lost in over two months since an away game at Lorient (0-1) in early December. To face Nice, Lyon will be without their star winter signing, Endrick. The striker — on loan from Real Madrid — is suspended after an unsportsmanlike gesture against Nantes’ Tabibou last weekend. However, the Lyonnais can rely on the return of their captain, Corentin Tolisso, who has been absent from the field for a little over three weeks.
Probable lineups:
Lyon: Greif – Maitland-Niles, Mata, Niakhaté, Abner – Morton, Tessmann, Nartey – Tolisso (C) – Yaremchuk, Sulc
Nice: Dupé – Clauss, Oppong, Dante (C), Abdi – Sanson, Vanhoutte, Diop – Louchet, Wahi, Bernardeau (or Cho)
