Relegation-doomed Angers find themselves 11 points adrift at the foot of the Ligue 1 table as they prepare to host in-form Nice at Stade Raymond Kopa on Sunday afternoon.
At the opposite end of the standings, the Eagles are flying high in seventh place – 34 points above Angers – having avoided defeat in each of their previous 11 league outings.
Match preview
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It is safe to say that Angers have been preparing for life in Ligue 2 for some time now, as they return from the international break sitting 14 points from safety with 10 games remaining this season.
Having claimed a measly two wins this term – picking up their only victories all the way back in September – the Black and Whites are on course to record one of the worst campaigns in Ligue 1 history.
Not only have Angers lost each of their last five matches, but they have also lost 18 of their previous 20, with 22 defeats coming in their 28 league outings this term.
Following Gerald Baticle's sacking in December, Le SCO appointed Abdel Bouhazama as manager, but the 54-year-old lasted just two months at the helm before making way for Alexandre Dujeux.
It goes without saying that Dujeux has a nigh-on impossible task on his hands, so the interim boss will now enter damage limitation mode as he attempts to delay the club's inevitable relegation to the second tier.
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While Angers have failed to win any of their last 20 Ligue 1 matches, Nice have lost just one of their previous 19, while the Eagles soar into Sunday's clash on a 13-game unbeaten streak across all competitions.
Having avoided defeat in each of their last 11 league outings – registering six wins and five draws along the way – Nice find themselves six points outside the European places in the French top flight.
In addition to being one the most in-form teams in Ligue 1, Nice boast the second-best defensive record in the division, having conceded 25 goals in 28 games this term, with six clean sheets coming in their previous 10 encounters.
The Eagles parted company with Lucien Favre following a 2-1 defeat to Rennes back in January, leaving Didier Digard in charge on an interim basis, and the caretaker manager has exceeded all expectations up to now.
Boasting an unbeaten managerial record of eight wins and five draws, Digard has transformed Nice into one of the most feared teams in French football, making Angers' task even harder this weekend.
Team News
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Angers have not had the best of luck on the injury front this season, and the hosts could be without as many as seven first-team players for Sunday's clash.
Lois Diony, Ulrick Eneme-Ella and Ali Kalla are all absent with knee issues, while Ilyes Chetti, Faouzi Ghoulam, Amine Salama and Melvin Zinga also find themselves sidelined due to injury.
Nice have several injury absentees of their own, with Youcef Atal, Sofiane Diop, Antoine Mendy and Youssouf Ndayishimiye expected to miss the trip to Stade Raymond Kopa.
On a brighter note, Nicolas Pepe is back in action after recovering from a knee injury, so the former Arsenal winger will fancy his chances of exploiting Angers' leaky backline.
Another ex-Gunner, Aaron Ramsey, is likely to occupy an attacking midfield role behind Pepe and top scorer Gaetan Laborde, who has netted five goals across his last nine league outings.
Angers possible starting lineup:
Bernardoni; El Melali, Valery, Camara, Bamba, Doumbia; Capelle, Bentaleb, Mendy; Abdelli, Niane
Nice possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Rosario, Todibo, Dante; Beka Beka, Boudaoui, Thuram, Bard; Ramsey; Pepe, Laborde
We say: Angers 0-2 Nice
We expect Nice to heap more misery on lowly Angers this weekend, with the visitors likely to keep a clean sheet on their way to inflicting a 23rd defeat of the season on Le SCO.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
