Nicevs.Lens

Home manager Franck Haise will face off against his former club here, desperate to make amends for their shock defeat on Wednesday against fourth-tier opposition.

Match preview

After there being huge disparity in Nice's domestic and European form, it now appears as though those dismal performances on the continent are seeping into their games at home.

A 1-0 lead is never a safe scoreline in football, and Nice found that out against Stade Briochin on Wednesday, as the fourth-tier outfit scored in the 90th and 97th minute to turn the last-16 tie on its head in extraordinary circumstances.

That result came a few days after Toulouse also snatched a point off Haise's men late on last weekend, so Nice will be glad to be back on home soil this Saturday, where they have been excellent in Ligue 1.

The Eaglets are still unbeaten at the Riviera this season in Ligue 1, taking 21 points from a possible 27; no team has played fewer home matches than Nice this season, but only Paris Saint-Germain (27) have scored more than them (23).

While Nice were briefly in the top four, last week's draw saw Lille overtake them again, but Haise's men are in prime position to attack the Champions League places, sitting just one point back, and only three points off third-placed Monaco.

After suffering humiliating exits from both the Coupe and the Europa League, Haise must now ensure his side continues to push for the top four, and this will be a key indicator of where they are at.

Nice have a strong record versus Lens, winning seven of the previous 10 meetings, while they have lost just one of the 13 home matches against their upcoming opponents in the 21st century.

That is a worrying run for the visitors, who enter the weekend just one place behind Nice in sixth, but are also well in the race for the top four, lying just two points off Lille.

Despite facing in-form opposition in the form of Montpellier and Angers, Lens came through both victorious without conceding, opening up the possibility of the Blood and Gold winning three league games in succession for the first time under Will Still.

While Nice have been excellent at home, Lens are showing similarly strong form on the road this season, losing just one of their 10 Ligue 1 away matches this season, against Paris Saint-Germain, taking 19 points - only the Parisians and Marseille have more.

A repeat of the 0-0 draw between the sides in the reverse fixture back in September would be welcome for the visitors, keeping them within touch of fifth, while ensuring Lyon remain behind them.

Nice Ligue 1 form:

D

W

W

L

W

D

Nice form (all competitions):

L

L

W

D

D

L

Lens Ligue 1 form:

D

L

W

L

W

W

Lens form (all competitions):

L

L

W

L

W

W

Team News

Haise rested much of his Nice side for the cup defeat in midweek, so there should be an array of changes for this one, including in goal, where Marcin Bulka is expected to replace Maxime Dupe.

Gaetan Laborde was a surprise starter in the week, with Nice having plenty of attacking players who could have covered for him, but he is set to keep his place, after scoring six goals in his last seven Ligue 1 games.

On the injury list, quartet Morgan Sanson, Terem Moffi, Jeremie Boga and Pablo Rosario remain sidelined for the hosts.

Lens also have four first-team players out injured, with Ruben Aguilar, Florian Sotoca, Jhoanner Chavez and Remy Labeau Lascary currently on the treatment table for Still's side.

Abdulay Bah and Jeremy Agbonifo were both late loan acquisitions in the transfer window, and they made their debuts off the bench last weekend, with the latter scoring in the 2-0 win over Montpellier.

While the club lost defenders Kevin Danso and Abdukodir Khusanov to the Premier League, they will hope Bosnian youngster Nidal Celik will be another hidden gem that they can develop, after his arrival from FK Sarajevo, even if he is not yet ready for a debut.

Nice possible starting lineup:

Bulka; Ndayishimiye, Dante, Bard; Clauss, Boudaoui, Santamaria, Abdi; Guessand, Laborde, Moukoko

Lens possible starting lineup:

Ryan; Frankowski, Gradit, Sarr, Medina, Machado; Thomasson, El Aynaoui, Diouf; Nzola, Agbonifo

We say: Nice 0-0 Lens

In a clash against one of Ligue 1's strongest home teams and best-performing away teams, there is very little between these two sides ahead of this one.

Written by

Andrew Delaney

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