Nice vs Angers – Nice prepares to play Angers at the Allianz Riviera on Sunday lunchtime, looking to end a troubling two-game losing streak in Ligue 1.
In their most recent match, Christophe Galtier’s side lost 2-0 to Lyon, while Les Scoistes were defeated 1-0 by an overachieving Strasbourg.
The highs of a five-game winning streak have subsequently been replaced by the lows of back-to-back defeats for Galtier’s Nice, who have also failed to score in both of those games as Lyon delivered them a footballing lesson one week after Clermont’s 1-0 victory.
Last Saturday at the Groupama Stadium, Moussa Dembele’s penalty and Karl Toko Ekambi’s close-range finish pushed Les Gones to a convincing three-point victory against Nice, with Les Aiglons losing ground in the battle to be the best of the rest.
Angers’ promising start to the season is now firmly in the past, with Gerald Baticle’s team suffering a dispiriting slide down the standings, which continued with a 1-0 defeat to Strasbourg in game week 24.
In the 11th minute, veteran striker Kevin Gameiro scored the game’s sole goal, and while Angers went near through Stephane Bahoken’s deft header, Matz Sels and the Strasbourg defense held firm at the Stade Raymond Kopa.
Nice vs Angers – Team News:
Youcef Atal, Nice’s unlucky right-back, has been diagnosed with a broken collarbone and will be sidelined for several weeks, while Jordan Amavi is unlikely to return from a knee sprain anytime soon.
Galtier has no new issues to deal with ahead of Angers’ visit, with Jordan Lotomba likely to take the place of Flavius Daniliuc at right-back while Atal recovers.
Pablo Rosario wants to replace Mario Lemina in the midfield, while Galtier might be tempted to bring in Kasper Dolberg or Alexis Claude-Maurice to shake up the defense.
Baticle has been dealt an attacking concern ahead of Sunday’s match, with Sofiane Boufal allegedly suffering an injury in training on Thursday and unable to finish the session.
The former Southampton man has not officially been ruled out of the competition, but 18-year-old youngster Mohamed-Ali Cho is on standby and ready to accompany Bahoken up top.
Baticle has no injury or suspension problems, so he’ll likely stick with the same 3-5-2 formation he used against Strasbourg, with Vincent Manceau on the bench.
Nice possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Lotomba, Todibo, Dante, Bard; Boudaoui, Rosario, Schneiderlin, Gouiri; Delort, Dolberg
Angers possible starting lineup:
Petkovic; Mendy, Thomas, Traore; Cabot, Bentaleb, Fulgini, Ounahi, Doumbia; Cho, Bahoke
Nice vs Angers – Head-to-Head:
Our Prediction: Home Win or Draw
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