Fresh from their Europa Conference League elimination in midweek, Nice welcome Clermont to the Allianz Riviera for a Ligue 1 clash on Sunday.
Les Aiglons currently sit ninth in the top-flight standings and are at risk of failing to qualify for Europe next season, while Les Lanciers are two points and two places further back in 11th spot.
Match preview
© Reuters
Nice missed the chance to progress to their first-ever European semi-final after suffering a heartbreaking 2-1 quarter-final second-leg defeat at home to Basel after extra time on Thursday, losing 4-3 on aggregate.
After taking the lead in the ninth minute through Gaetan Laborde, their Swiss counterparts turned the game on its head, with an 86th-minute equaliser from French striker Jean-Kevin Augustin followed by what proved to be the winning goal six minutes into extra time from Kasim Nuhu.
A winless run of six matches both domestically and across all competitions has hindered Nice's progress in the second half of the campaign, with Didier Digard's side now tasked with clawing back a 10-point deficit in their final seven Ligue 1 matches if they wish to finish inside the top five.
Les Aiglons head into Sunday's encounter having failed to win each of their last four league matches at the Allianz Riviera, including a 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain two weeks ago, and have not had a longer drought on home soil in a single season since a winless run of eight games between October 2020 and January 2021.
Nice will be seeking revenge against Clermont this weekend having lost their last two meetings against Les Lanciers, with a 1-0 home loss in February last year followed by a slender away defeat by the same scoreline six months later.
© Reuters
After securing maximum points in wins over Ajaccio and Troyes, Clermont maintained their 100% record in April with a 2-1 victory at home to basement club Angers last weekend despite ending the match with nine men.
Two penalties converted within the space of six first-half minutes by Grejohn Kyei and Muhammed Cham turned the game on its head after Adrien Hunou netted a 28th-minute opener against his former club. Neto Borges and Alidu Seidu were both sent off in added time either side of half time, but the hosts managed to hold on to record a third successive top-flight win for just the second time in their history.
Pascal Gastien's side have already picked up seven points more than the entirety of last season and still have seven Ligue 1 games remaining to increase their tally, with a top-10 finish firmly in their sights as they sit just two points behind Lorient in 10th and four adrift of Reims in eighth.
Clermont can be confident of success on Sunday as only Marseille (22) and Lyon (17) have accumulated more Ligue 1 points away from home than Les Lanciers (13) since the turn of the year, and a victory at the Allianz Riviera will see them complete their first-ever league double over Nice.
Team News
© Reuters
Nice winger Sofiane Diop is ruled out with a knee injury, while Youcef Atal (thigh), Mattia Viti (groin), Jordan Lotomba (ankle) and Alexis Beka Beka (hip) are all doubtful and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Nicolas Pepe recovered from a knee problem to feature as a substitute on Thursday and the Arsenal loanee could return to the starting lineup at the expense of centre-back Youssouf Ndayishimiye should Digard switch from a 3-5-2 formation to a 4-3-3 set-up.
Ross Barkley is available for selection after being left out of Nice's Europa Conference League squad for the knockout rounds, although the Englishman may have to settle for a place on the substitutes' bench as in-demand Khephren Thuram is set to continue in midfield alongside Aaron Ramsey and Hicham Boudaoui.
As for Clermont, full-backs Borges and Seidu are suspended following their red cards last weekend; Gastien's side have failed to win all three Ligue 1 games when the former has not played this season.
The absence of both Borges and Seidu could see Gastien revert to a three-man defence of Mateusz Wieteska, Maximiliano Caufriez and Florent Ogier, with Mehdi Zeffane and Jim Allevinah potentially occupying wing-back roles.
Komnen Andric has missed the last three matches with a groin injury and the forward is expected to miss out again on Sunday, with Kyei set to continue up front.
Nice possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Mendy, Todibo, Dante, Bard; Ramsey, Boudaoui, Thuram; Pepe, Laborde, Moffi
Clermont possible starting lineup:
Diaw; Wieteska, Caufriez, Ogier; Zeffane, Gonalons, Gastien, Allevinah; Cham, Rashani; Kyei
We say: Nice 1-1 Clermont
The two teams head into Sunday's fixture in contrasting form, with Clermont in high spirits and motivated by the prospect of moving above Nice into the top half of the table with a fourth successive victory.
However, Digard will expect a response from his side on home soil and we can see Nice earning a hard-fought point in a tight affair at the Allianz Riviera.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
