OGC Nice is traveling this Saturday (8 p.m.) to Rennes with the aim of bringing back one or even three points that would secure their stay in the league. Defeated last week against PSG (1-3), the Nice team can rely on a rediscovered style of play and the desire for a more relaxed end to the season.
Come on, one last little effort! With 41 points, the Aiglons are not safe yet… but almost. Claude Puel and the players see the safety mark at 44 points. So they would need to take three points from the last five matches of the season. A task that seems achievable. To avoid a mentally tough end of the season, like last year (safety assured on the penultimate day), Mathieu Bodmer and his teammates need to “do the job” in Brittany or, at worst, wait until next week and the match against Caen.
The defeat against Paris-Saint-Germain was logical, but it mainly left some hope. For an hour, the Nice team competed with the Ligue 1 leaders by creating numerous opportunities. Although a bit of efficiency was still lacking, the play itself was of good quality. The trio Carlos Eduardo-Eysseric-Benrahma worked wonderfully. Unfortunately, the latter got injured this week in training (ankle sprain) and will not return to the field this season. Nice will also be without Jordan Amavi, who is suspended. Grégoire Puel and Lloyd Palun are expected to occupy the wings of the red and black defense.
“Rennes is a good team with fast players, especially on the flanks, so they are never easy to face. It’s up to us to undertake the same things as in the first half against Paris, where we got a glimpse of the right direction to take. We are ready to fight in all the remaining matches to secure our place,” explained Grégoire Puel on the club’s website.
But what about Rennes? Sometimes good, sometimes average, sometimes “very very” average. Philippe Montanier’s men have experienced all the emotions this season. Close to competing for a podium spot after their first-leg victory (2-1), then a fall down to fighting for safety. With 46 points and in 9th place, the Rennais are no longer competing for much except the honor of finishing in a “respectable” position. They will once again rely on the striking duo Ntep-Toivonen (16 goals between them). The Bretons are unbeaten in four matches (2 wins, 2 draws), including a 2-2 draw away at Monaco.
But be careful, with Lorient’s surprise victory in Marseille (5-3), on Friday night, Nice now only has a four-point lead over the first relegation spot, Evian. It just goes to show that the 2014-2015 season is far from over…
Photo credit and more information at www.ogcnice.com
