For the third season in a row, Nice and Rennes will face each other in their first Ligue 1 match of the New Year, as they meet at the Allianz Riviera on Friday.
While Les Aiglons are unbeaten at home in the French top flight, their Breton visitors will be seeking a first away win of the campaign.
Match preview
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Narrowly avoiding embarrassment, Nice scraped past National 3 side Corte in the Coupe de France just before Christmas, when Yael Nandjou's first-half dismissal left them a goal behind and down to 10 men heading into the final half-hour.
Tanguy Ndombele then struck to take the last-64 tie to penalties, and a flawless set of five spot kicks ultimately saved the Ligue 1 club's blushes.
Previously, Franck Haise's side drew their most recent league match away to rock-bottom Montpellier HSC, twice squandering a one-goal advantage.
As a result, Nice occupy sixth place in the table, sitting on the shoulders of Lyon and Lille in the race for a cherished top-four finish.
Les Aiglons are one of only two teams yet to lose a home game in the French top tier this season, along with reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain, and they also come into their first contest of 2025 on a long scoring streak.
Having found the net in their last nine Ligue 1 fixtures - the club's best run since April 2021 - Haise and co will expect to extend a positive record for Nice against Rennes: they have lost just three of the teams' last 18 league meetings.
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Though this is the third straight season that the sides have met in their first game of the New Year, the previous two took place in Rennes, where the hosts came out on top both times: winning 2-1 in 2023 and then 2-0 in 2024.
However, Les Rennais come into this clash sitting 12th in the Ligue 1 standings, only four points clear of the relegation places, having already sacked their manager this season.
Julien Stephan was replaced in the dugout by well-travelled coach Jorge Sampaoli, who has since guided his new team to three wins from his first five games, including a recent 2-0 league victory at home to Angers.
His latest success came in the Coupe de France, where an Adrien Truffert goal hauled Rennes level against fallen giants Bordeaux, ultimately paving the way for a 4-1 win over their fourth-tier hosts.
Les Rouge et Noirs are still searching for their first away win in Ligue 1, though, having suffered six losses from seven on the road so far - indeed, the Breton club have lost their last three without even scoring.
Team News
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Entering a new year, Franck Haise is still hampered by an injury-hit Nice squad, with numerous first-team players out of action, most notably last term's top scorer Terem Moffi, midfielder Morgan Sanson and veteran centre-back Dante.
Victor Orakpo, Jeremie Boga and Antoine Mendy are also unavailable for the hosts, whose attacking approach often leaves Marcin Bulka exposed. The Poland international boasts the best save percentage of any goalkeeper in Ligue 1 this term (77%).
Meanwhile, up front, Gaetan Laborde should be supported by Evann Guessand, the latter of whom is his club's top league scorer on six goals so far.
Rennes striker Arnaud Kalimuendo has also scored half-a-dozen times in the French top flight this season, and he was on target in their recent cup win over Bordeaux too.
The visitors will head south without Alidu Seidu (ACL) but have few other fitness concerns leading into their first fixture of 2025.
Linked with a move back to Britain during the January transfer window, out-of-favour midfielder Glen Kamara is again set for a place on the bench, having been pushed further down the pecking order by Seko Fofana's signing from Al-Nassr.
Nice possible starting lineup:
Bulka; Clauss, Rosario, Bombito, Bard; Bouanani, Boudaoui, Ndombele; Laborde, Guessand, Diop
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; Hateboer, Ostigard, Truffert; Assignon, James, Matusiwa, Nagida; Blas, Gouiri; Kalimuendo
We say: Nice 2-1 Rennes
Nice are the only team to have both attempted and faced more than 200 shots in Ligue 1 this season, ranking second for overall shots per match behind PSG.
An open encounter could be on the cards, with Les Aiglons coming out on top against a Rennes side that does not travel well.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
