Preview: Nice vs Go Ahead Eagles - prediction, team news, lineups

Looking to restore some pride in this competition after an awful start, Nice welcome Go Ahead Eagles to Allianz Riviera for a Europa League clash on Thursday night.

Les Aiglons were defeated heavily in France last time out, whilst Kowet picked up a commendable result on the road in the Netherlands.

Match preview

Since a 2-1 success over second-tier Saint-Etienne in Coupe de France on December 21, Nice have commenced their 2026 schedule with two-match losing run in Ligue 1, failing to beat either Strasbourg or Toulouse.

To say that they failed to beat Les Violets last time out is a bit of an understatement, with Les Aiglons suffering a 5-1 defeat on the South Coast, adding to the list of sobering matches endured by the club this season.

Heading into matchday seven of the Europa League, Nice are the only team out of the 36-team cohort who are yet to collect a single point, meaning that they lie seven points behind 24th spot with just six points left to fight for.

Claude Puel's men will play their final League Phase match on home soil on Thursday night, with Les Aiglons losing to Braga, Freiburg and Roma so far in front of their supporters at Allianz Riviera.

© Imago / Pro Shots

Across the opening 90 minutes of matches, Go Ahead Eagles are currently on a remarkable five-game drawing streak, with a pair of penalty-shootout successes allowing them progress into the quarter-final stage of the KNVB Cup.

It appeared as if Kowet's unbeaten run would be coming to an end in Amsterdam last time out when Ajax raced into a first-half Eredivisie lead, however replies from Milan Smit and Thibo Baeten rescued a share of the spoils.

Focusing on continental matters for a moment, Go Ahead Eagles are sitting precariously in 28th spot in the League Phase rankings with six points from as many matches, a single point behind Celtic in 24th.

Since their historic 2-1 success over Premier League title challengers Aston Villa at De Adelaarshorst in October, Kowet have slumped to three straight defeats in the Europa League, hindering their chances of progressing into the knockout rounds.

A regular provider of goals in the Eredivisie for Go Ahead Eagles this season with eight strikes, Mathis Suray is yet to hit a purple patch on the continental stage, scoring just one across six appearances.

Nice Europa League form: L L L L L L

Nice form (all competitions): L L W D W L

Go Ahead Eagles Europa League form: L W W L L L

Go Ahead Eagles form (all competitions): L W D D W D

Team News

© Imago

Nice are without the services of centre-back Antoine Mendy, who is serving a suspension in this match after collecting three yellow cards in the League Phase to date.

Les Aiglons have a number of high-profile injuries at the moment, including a knee problem for iconic centre-back Dante.

There are also issues at the top end of the pitch for the French side, with Sofiane Diop recovering from an ankle injury.

Last kicking a competitive ball for Go Ahead Eagles in October, Gerrit Nauber is unlikely to feature on Thursday.

Robbin Weijenberg managed just two league appearances for Kowet before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

Nice possible starting lineup:

Dupe; Gouveia, Oppong, Bard, Abdi; Louchet, Samed, Ndombele; Cho, Carlos, Jansson

Go Ahead Eagles possible starting lineup:

De Busser; Deiji, Meulensteen, Kramer, Adelgaard; Goudmijn, Linthorst, Slory, Bruem, Suray; Smit

We say: Nice 1-2 Go Ahead Eagles

Unable to reach the knockout stages after an awful campaign, Nice are likely to be a wounded animal on Thursday afternoon.

Go Ahead Eagles should smell blood at Allianz Riviera and swoop in to snatch their third win of the League Phase.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.