Preview: Nice vs. Sheriff Tiraspol - prediction, team news, lineups

Nice won a tight first leg 1-0 in the unwelcoming surroundings of Moldova's capital, teeing up an intriguing decider on the Cote d'Azur this week.

Match preview

Ayoub Amraoui scored the only goal of the first leg from a narrow angle in first-half stoppage time with what looked like a cross looping over Maksym Koval's head, while Sheriff did not have the same good fortune as Armel Zohouri struck the woodwork with a similar unintentional effort before he had a deliberate attempt on goal disallowed in the closing stages.

Despite the narrow and somewhat fortuitous nature of their victory, Digard was content with his side's performance but disgusted with the playing surface both teams had to compete on, admitting that "it was not the most pleasant game to watch".

Nice have produced more flattering displays under Digard, but their unbeaten run remains intact since the 36-year-old replaced Lucien Favre, who concluded his time at the helm with a humiliating 1-0 loss away to third-tier Le Puy Foot 43 in the Coupe de France at the start of January.

The French Riviera outfit were held to a 2-2 draw by Nantes on Sunday as Antoine Kombouare's spirited side twice equalised, ultimately snatching a point through Mostafa Mohamed in the 88th minute.

Nice are not only playing for themselves but "for the whole of France" according to Digard, as the country's top flight is locked in a battle with its equivalent in Portugal and the Netherlands for UEFA coefficient points - as the last French club left in European competition this season, Nice's result this midweek extends beyond their own ambitions.

Roberto Bordin lamented his side's lack of luck from the first leg but took confidence from the previous round of the Conference League when Sheriff overturned a 1-0 defeat at home to Partizan to prevail 3-2 on aggregate.

Sheriff returned to league action for the first time in four months on Monday, securing a 1-0 win via Mouhamed Diop's second-half goal at home to a CSF Balti side which only had enough available players to name four substitutes - by comparison, Bordin had 11 at his disposal.

The reigning champions of Moldova have won their nation's top flight 20 times in the last 22 seasons, but this year's league is far from wrapped up after a sloppy first half of the season saw Sheriff change manager twice and drop four points against their nearest rival Petrocub - Bordin's side host Petrocub in the league on Sunday, adding an extra layer of importance to the coming week.

Given the political strife surrounding Transnistria amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Sheriff have become used to playing away from home and last lost a competitive match on the road at Manchester United's Old Trafford in a Europa League group-stage game in October.

Nice Europa Conference League form:

D

W

L

W

D

W

Nice form (all competitions):

W

D

W

D

W

D

Sheriff Tiraspol Europa Conference League form:

L

W

L

Sheriff Tiraspol form (all competitions):

Team News

Nice will be without the talismanic defender Dante after the 39-year-old picked up a suspension-inducing booking in the first leg - the Brazilian centre-back has missed just one game across all competitions for Nice this season (and that was also through suspension).

Nicolas Pepe has been struggling with a knee problem since January, and the 22-year-old forward Sofiane Diop missed the trip to Nantes with a sprained knee.

Right-back Antoine Mendy is unlikely to feature as he continues to nurse an ankle issue, while fellow defender Youcef Atal has had his recovery from various ailments since the World Cup hampered by a thigh injury.

Long-term absentee Joe Bryan is a doubt but Aaron Ramsey - who was not fit enough to make the trip to Moldova - came off the bench against Nantes on Sunday.

Sheriff religiously play a 4-3-3 in domestic competition, but Bordin followed the precedent set by his predecessors of switching to a back three in Europe, deploying a 3-5-2 against Nice which stifled the French side going forward.

Patrick Kpozo will be suspended following his 12th-minute yellow card in the first leg, but Sheriff's only other senior left-back, Keston Julien, is not part of the club's Conference League squad - the forward Rasheed Akanbi has been shoehorned into this role before and may return to it on Thursday.

The Burkina Faso international Abou Ouattara did make the cut, but the club will have to progress in the competition for the winger to feature as he continues to struggle with a leg injury that he sustained before the World Cup.

Nice possible starting lineup:

Schmeichel; Viti, Ndayishimiye, Todibo; Lotomba, Rosario, Thuram, Amraoui; Boudaoui; Laborde, Moffi

Sheriff Tiraspol possible starting lineup:

Koval; Radeljic, Garananga, Kiki; Zohouri, Diop, Badola, Kyabou, Akanbi; Tapsoba, Atiemwen

We say: Nice 2-1 Sheriff Tiraspol

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