This Sunday afternoon, for the 24th day of Ligue 1, OGC Nice is heading to the Toulouse stadium. With Monaco’s draw against Paris, the Gym has the opportunity to reclaim a spot on the championship podium.
The goal for this weekend is clear: the podium. For that, Nice has no choice; a victory against Toulouse is mandatory. After the goalless draw (0-0) against Clermont, the Gym fell off the podium. Their main competitors, Brest (2nd) and Monaco (3rd), had won their matches, causing the eagles to drop to the 4th place. On the road, in the pink city, OGC can find their way back to victory. Indeed, the red and blacks haven’t won in four matches (two draws and two defeats). This is the worst streak ongoing this season. The team must absolutely bounce back and stop the bleeding if they want to aim for a place in the Champions League next season.
OGC Nice will face Toulouse, who is ranked 11th. A match clearly within the reach of the eagles. It is true that Toulouse has delivered strong performances this season. The exploit against Liverpool, in the Europa League group stage, is proof of that. Toulouse is also coming off a 3-1 victory against Lille. Confident at home against a team full of doubts, the match promises to be complicated. In the first leg, Nice won 1-0. Additionally, the statistics favor the eagles. Toulouse has failed to score in 4 of their last 5 matches against Nice in all competitions (1 goal). Toulouse has not won any of its last 5 home games against Nice in Ligue 1 (3 draws, 2 losses), their last victory against the Eagles dates back to November 2015 (2-0).
Four Niçois Absent
The club from the Côte d’Azur is not spared from injuries. In total, three players will miss this encounter. Francesco Farioli must do without the services of Morgan Sanson due to a knee injury, Sofiane Diop with a foot issue, and Valentin Rosier with a muscular problem in the hamstring (lesion). Besides the injured players, Youssouf Ndayishimiye, suspended, will not be traveling. As a result, there will be a shortage in the midfield position.
On the Toulouse side, Martinez cannot rely on the injured, Zakaria Aboudkhlal (knee) and Denis Genreau who is still unavailable.
Note that the match, which takes place at 1 PM, has been classified as “risky” by the National Division for Fighting Hooliganism (DNLH). The Prefect of Haute-Garonne, Pierre-André Durand has imposed measures.
