Top-four contenders Nice return from the international break on Sunday, when Ligue 1 strugglers Nantes visit Allianz Riviera under new management.
Les Canaris have turned to a familiar face in order to stave off relegation, while their hosts are pursuing Champions League football for next season.
Match preview
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Having surpassed expectations during the first half of the 2023-24 campaign, a run of six games without a win - including five defeats - saw Nice falling behind in their quest for European qualification.
Shortly after being knocked out of the Coupe de France by Paris Saint-Germain, the French Riviera club played their final fixture before international football intervened, and they turned the form book on its head at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
Terem Moffi bagged a brace either side of Khephren Thuram's second-half strike as Nice secured a 3-1 win over Lens, who they leapfrogged in the Ligue 1 standings as a result of snapping that worrying winless streak.
Francesco Farioli's side will therefore resume action in fifth place, just one point shy of Lille and only four behind surprise package Brest, who sit second behind distant leaders PSG.
Though they have recorded only two home losses in 13 Ligue 1 games, Les Aiglons are now looking to halt a three-match run without victory at Allianz Riviera that dates back to early February.
However, Nice have not won any of their last four games against Nantes, including December's reverse fixture, when they finally suffered their first defeat of the season. Since then, Farioli's men have lost eight from 17 - but they will hope that the tide has now turned.
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After a disheartening 3-1 home defeat to Strasbourg in their most recent outing, which left them 16th in the standings and occupying the relegation playoff place, Nantes switched managers for the second time this season.
Since replacing Pierre Aristouy in November, Jocelyn Gourvennec had lost 10 of his 15 games in charge of Les Canaris, with defeats in each of the last three - against Metz, Marseille and then Strasbourg - leaving them just two points clear of the drop zone.
That prompted owner Waldemar Kita to reappoint Antoine Kombouare, who makes his return to the dugout after being sacked last May: since his dismissal, Nantes have lost 17 of their 30 Ligue 1 matches, which is more than any other team over the same period.
Kombouare led the Loire club to Coupe de France glory in 2022, before Kita judged that he had run out of steam at the end of last season; the former PSG boss returns with a game against one of his bogey teams: he has lost 17 of 26 league meetings with Nice to date.
Eight matches remain to save Nantes from demotion, which would trigger an extension to his stay at Stade de la Beaujoire, but Kombouare's first task is to improve a modest away record of 13 points from 36 available so far this term.
Team News
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After celebrating his first league goal of the season against Lens, Khephren Thuram will be forced to miss Sunday's game, as he joins Pablo Rosario in serving a suspension for receiving three bookings in the space of 10 Ligue 1 matches.
Those absences will force Francesco Farioli's hand in midfield, but Nice can still rely on nine-goal top scorer Terem Moffi to lead the line up front, with support from Jeremie Boga and Mohamed-Ali Cho - the latter laid on two goals last time out.
While Sofiane Diop's foot injury keeps him on the sidelines this week, Valentin Rosier could recover from a muscular problem in time to make the bench.
Returning Nantes boss Antoine Kombouare will be without one of his main men for the rest of the season, after Moses Simon was injured in Nigeria's friendly against Mali last week - the winger had scored three times and set up five goals in the league.
In his absence, leading scorer Mostafa Mohamed shoulders even more of the attacking burden, while Kader Bamba could step into the starting XI. The latter has played the most minutes as a substitute in Ligue 1 this season (388); he also received a red card without coming off the bench in December's reverse fixture.
Elsewhere, Brazilian midfielder Douglas Augusto will return to the visitors' squad following a one-match ban, but Ignatius Ganago (ACL) and Bastien Meupiyou (knee) are ruled out by injury.
Nice possible starting lineup:
Bulka; Lotomba, Todibo, Dante, Bard; Claude-Maurice, Sanson, Traore; Cho, Moffi, Boga
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Amian, Castelletto, Comert, Cozza; Sissoko, Augusto, Chirivella; Kadewere, Mohamed, Bamba
We say: Nice 1-0 Nantes
Although they have stumbled in recent weeks, Nice still boast the joint-best defensive record in Ligue 1, while Nantes are not prolific by any means. Therefore, one moment of magic, or madness, could decide this contest in the home side's favour.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
