Preview: Nice vs Toulouse - prediction, team news, lineups

Nice will aim to begin their Ligue 1 campaign on a flawless note when they welcome Toulouse to the Allianz Riviera this Saturday for their opening fixture.

Les Aiglons will once again seek to mount a push for a top-four finish, while the visitors have their sights set on breaking into the race for a European berth.

Match preview

INEOS’s acquisition of Premier League side Manchester United appeared to have diverted some attention away from Nice, yet despite head coach Frank Haise’s admission of receiving little backing from the hierarchy, they still managed to finish fourth last season, their highest position in the past eight years.

The summer saw significant departures, with Jean-Clair Todibo, centre forward Evann Guessan and goalkeeper Marcin Bulka all leaving for sizeable fees, although the club moved quickly to secure reinforcements.

New arrivals Yehvann Diouf and Isak Jansson have endured difficult starts in their two competitive outings with the Eagles, both ending in 2-0 defeats to Benfica across their Champions League qualifying double-header, with the result consigning the French side to the Europa League route.

While Nice will be eager to produce a positive response to that continental setback, they will have to shake off an unwanted pattern, having failed to record victory in any of their last four opening Ligue 1 matches (D3 L1).

Even so, winning each of the last three matches in their final home league games of the previous campaign should provide a glimmer of encouragement heading into Saturday’s encounter.

Meanwhile, Toulouse can take comfort in an unbeaten run in their last four Ligue 1 openers and will be keen to stretch that sequence, buoyed by the momentum carried over from last term.

Les Violets were unbeaten in their final four matches of the previous campaign (W2, D2), but they approach this opener on the back foot after a poor pre-season, having lost four of six friendlies, including 6-0 and 7-0 annihilations by Stuttgart and Leipzig, respectively.

That said, Toulouse’s 10th-place finish last term marked their best showing since returning to the top flight in 2022-23, and head coach Carles Martinez Novell will now focus on steering his side into the mix for European qualification, looking to claim every point possible with no ground seen as off-limits.

Having taken points in two of their last three visits to the Allianz Riviera, including a 1-1 draw last season, Toulouse have every reason to travel with a sense of optimism.

Nice form (all competitions):

Toulouse form (all competitions):

Team News

Nice head into this clash wrestling with a lengthy injury list, with Morgan Sanson, Youssouf Ndayishimiye and Mohamed Abdelmonem all ruled out for the hosts.

The availability of Dante, Hicham Boudaoui, Tanguy Ndombele and Mohamed-Ali Cho remains uncertain, leaving head coach Franck Haise with a significant fitness puzzle to solve ahead of this weekend’s curtain-raiser.

Toulouse are not without their own absentees, as Cristian Casseres is suspended while Rasmus Nicolaisen faces a race against time to prove his fitness.

Niklas Schmidt, Rafik Messali, Abu Francis and Ilyas Azizi are also sidelined as they continue their rehabilitation from injury.

Nice possible starting lineup:

Diouf; Mendy, Bah, Oppong; Bard, Boudaoui, Louchet, Clauss; Jansson, Moffi, Bouanani

Toulouse possible starting lineup:

Restes; Cresswell, McKenzie, Methalie; Donnum, Canvot, Sauer, Sidibe; Gboho, Edjouma; Magri

We say: Nice 1-1 Toulouse

With both sides having shared identical 1-1 scorelines in last season’s league meetings, a similar outcome appears plausible here, especially given Nice’s patchy record in Ligue 1 openers and Toulouse’s knack for avoiding defeat on matchday one in recent years.

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