Newly-promoted Fulham kick off their preparations for the 2022-23 Premier League season with a trip to Portugal to take on Ligue 1 side Nice at Estadio Algarve.
Marco Silva's side are yet to take to the field in friendly action this term, while Les Aiglons recently played out a 1-1 draw with Belgian side Cercle Brugge.
Match preview
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What started out as a promising tale between Nice and Christophe Galtier ended in somewhat bitter fashion, as the Frenchman departed the Allianz Riviera after just one season to replace Mauricio Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain.
Les Aiglons could have ended the 2021-22 season having secured Champions League football and with a Coupe de France trophy in the cabinet, but Galtier's side ultimately dropped to fifth place - settling for Europa Conference League football in the process - and they lost in the Coupe de France final to Nantes.
Lucien Favre has returned to Nice for a second spell at the club after the club allowed Galtier to head for the Parc des Princes, and the ex-Borussia Dortmund boss saw his side begin pre-season with a 1-1 draw versus Cercle Brugge, as Andy Delort opened the scoring within eight minutes before a Yannis Nahounou own goal.
The Aiglons boss insisted that the draw was "not bad" on the whole, as the 64-year-old got a good look at all of his players ahead of an unforgiving camp in Portugal, which sees Nice take on Benfica a day before the battle with the Cottagers.
Torino and Roma will then pit their wits against Nice before their Ligue 1 campaign begins against Toulouse on August 7 - another newly-promoted side - so doing battle with Fulham is undoubtedly ideal preparation for the continental contenders.
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Returning to the Premier League at the first attempt, Fulham have been handed one of the most challenging top-flight openers that the organisers had to offer, as Marco Silva's side take on Liverpool on the opening day at Craven Cottage.
Possessing a striker in Aleksandar Mitrovic who can hit 43 goals in one Championship season is a surefire formula for success for Fulham, who have already made two eye-catching midfield signings in Andreas Pereira and Joao Palhinha this summer.
The likes of Fabio Carvalho, Jean Michael Seri and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa have all ended their stints with the Cottagers, who will not have fond memories of their most recent game, which ended in a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Sheffield United.
As is the case with Nice, Fulham also have two fixtures in the space of 24 hours to contend with, as Silva's side will do battle with Benfica on Sunday before meeting Estoril and Villarreal later this month.
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It remains to be seen how Nice will line up for the contest with Fulham, with Favre potentially splitting the group in two given that the tie with Benfica lies 24 hours beforehand.
Les Aiglons lost goalkeeper Walter Benitez to PSV Eindhoven earlier this summer, but they responded by bringing in Marcin Bulka on a permanent transfer from Paris Saint-Germain after the 22-year-old helped Nice knock Les Parisiens out of the Coupe de France on penalties last term.
Thirty-eight-year old Dante could marshal the defence against Fulham, and former loanee Mario Lemina would be a familiar face in the engine room if he is selected for this encounter.
Fulham boss Silva could adopt a similar approach to that of his counterpart, with one half of his side doing battle with Benfica while the other test their mettle against Nice.
Palhinha ought to make his debut for the Cottagers in his homeland alongside Pereira, and Silva is not reported to be working with any injuries at present, which should see all members of the squad test themselves against high-level opposition.
The Cottagers are pushing to complete deals for Manor Solomon and Bernd Leno before the start of the season, but Marek Rodak remains in possession of the number one jersey for the time being.
We say: Nice 1-1 Fulham
It is difficult to know what to expect from both sides given the extremely tight turnaround in between fixtures, but Fulham's new midfield men ought to add some steel to the engine room over the weekend.
Nice were far from outstanding in their draw with Cercle Brugge as they re-adjust to life under Favre, and we have faith in the Cottagers to hold Les Aiglons to a score draw.
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Ben Knapton
