After missing out on Coupe de France glory last weekend, Nice will turn their attention back to Ligue 1 with a home encounter against Saint-Etienne on Wednesday night.
The hosts currently sit sixth in the table, five points behind the Champions League positions with a game in hand, while the visitors occupy 18th place and are three points adrift of safety.
Match preview
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Nice's hopes of lifting silverware for the first time since 1996-97 were quashed as they suffered a slender 1-0 defeat against Nantes on Sunday.
After a cagey first half, the deadlock was broken in the 47th minute when Ludovic Blas converted from the penalty spot. Nice pushed for a late equaliser, but the Canaries held on to claim a deserved victory at the Stade de France.
Speculation in the media has since suggested that manager Christophe Galtier is set for crisis talks with the club's board, with the 55-year-old prepared to walk away from the club if his wish to work with former Lille and Monaco sporting director Luis Campos is not granted.
While rumours linger off the pitch, Nice's first-team squad will be focused on their final three Ligue 1 fixtures as they bid to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 62 years.
The Eaglets head into Wednesday's contest in good form on home soil, as they have won six of their last eight Ligue 1 games at the Allianz Riviera.
They have, however, lost three of their last five league matches against Saint-Etienne, including a 1-0 home defeat in January last season, so Galtier and co cannot take their opponents lightly in midweek.
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Saint-Etienne remain embroiled in a relegation battle after suffering back-to-back defeats against Monaco and Rennes.
A heavy 4-1 home defeat to Monaco was followed by a 2-0 loss away to Rennes last weekend, their 18th Ligue 1 defeat of the campaign; only basement club Bordeaux have lost more this term.
Saint-Etienne still occupy the relegation playoff position, but a win for Metz last weekend has seen them climb to 19th place, just three points behind Les Verts. Lorient in 17th, meanwhile, currently sit three points clear of Pascal Dupraz's men.
Les Verts have only won three of their 17 Ligue 1 away matches this season – against Angers, Troyes and Clermont – and have failed to win each of their last five on the road, conceding 13 goals in the process.
Wednesday's fixture against Nice is arguably Saint-Etienne's toughest remaining fixture, as games against midtable outfits Reims and Nantes are still to come this term, but claiming maximum points would provide a massive boost in their quest to avoid the drop.
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Team News
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Nice duo Youcef Atal and Alexis Claude-Maurice have both been ruled out for the rest of the season with respective collarbone and ankle injuries.
Jordan Lotomba is set to continue at right-back in Atal's absence, joining Jean-Clair Todibo, Dante and Melvin Bard in the back four.
Justin Kluivert and Mario Lemina will be looking to force their way into the first XI after beginning as substitutes against Nantes, and the pair could replace Kasper Dolberg and Khephren Thuram respectively.
As for Saint-Etienne, Romain Hamouma (calf), Ryad Boudebouz (groin), Falaye Sacko (knee) and Enzo Crivelli (muscle) are all sidelined with injuries.
Key attacker Wahbi Khazri is still doubtful with the thigh injury which ruled him out of the defeat at Rennes, so Arnaud Nordin could partner Denis Bouanga in attack.
Former Manchester City and Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala could retain his place in the back three with Mickael Nade and Harold Moukoudi, while Timothee Kolodziejczak may replace Miguel Trauco at left wing-back.
Nice possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Lotomba, Todibo, Dante, Bard; Boudaoui, Lemina, Rosario, Kluivert; Gouiri, Delort
Saint-Etienne possible starting lineup:
Bernardoni; Nade, Moukoudi, Mangala; Macon, Gourna-Douath, Youssouf, Camara, Kolodziejczak; Bouanga, Nordin
We say: Nice 3-1 Saint-Etienne
While Saint-Etienne's slender win over Nice last season will provide them with some confidence on Wednesday, Les Verts could be in for a challenging evening against their Champions League-chasing opponents this time around.
Securing all three points is required if they are to move out of the bottom three, but we can only see the Eaglets running away with victory on home soil.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats, suggests the most likely outcome of this match is a Nice win with a probability of 62.35%. A draw has a probability of 21.1% and a win for Saint-Etienne has a probability of 16.54%.
The most likely scoreline for a Nice win is 1-0 with a probability of 11.05%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome are 2-0 (10.92%) and 2-1 (9.91%). The likeliest drawn scoreline is 1-1 (10.02%), while for a Saint-Etienne win it is 0-1 (5.07%).
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
