Nice travel to the Stade du Moustoir to face Lorient on Wednesday evening as this new Ligue 1 season begins to take shape.
The visitors remain undefeated after five games, whilst their hosts sit two places below them in the table, having played one more match.
Match preview
Lorient finished in 16th position last season, only two points clear of the relegation playoff place, so they can be very satisfied with their start to this campaign.
Les Merlus have lost just one game so far - away to Montpellier in the third game of the season - and, even more impressively, have beaten two title hopefuls along the way.
A first-half penalty won and then converted by Terem Moffi - along with a well-drilled defensive showing - was enough to earn a 1-0 victory over Monaco, and Christophe Pelissier's side then beat reigning champions Lille 2-1, with another goal from Moffi and one for Armand Lauriente.
They were held to a fairly dull 0-0 stalemate at the weekend against mid-table Reims, but Pelissier will have been pleased to see a second clean sheet of the campaign and another point added to their tally, nonetheless.
Nice will likely prove to be a tough opponent to crack, but another giant-killing performance would go down very well with the home faithful.
The impact of title-winning manager Christophe Galtier has been just as immediate as it has been impressive.
Whilst it is still far too soon to discuss potential top-four challengers and European contenders, the former Lille boss has harnessed all of his title-winning glory from last term to turn Nice into a force to be reckoned with in the 2021-22 season.
The crowd trouble in their suspended match with Marseille does represent an early blot on their copybook, though, and was the reason that the weekend's Cote d'Azur derby against Monaco was played behind closed doors.
It was the visitors who opened the scoring, with Aleksandr Golovin becoming the first man to find a way past Nice goalkeeper Walter Benitez this season. Two second-half goals from Andy Delort and Hicham Boudaoui turned the game around, only for Monaco to equalise and Amine Gouiri to then miss a crucial late penalty, leaving the final score at 2-2.
Winning their game in hand would still move Les Aiglons up to second behind Paris Saint-Germain, though, and Galtier can be very satisfied with the effect he has had on his new side.
- D
- W
- L
- D
- W
- D
- D
- D
- W
- W
- W
- D
Team News
Lorient have a few injury problems - Quentin Boisgard, Jeremy Morel and Loris Mouyokolo are all sidelined with heel, thigh and ankle issues respectively.
Captain Fabien Lemoine has also been granted personal leave due to the burial of his father-in-law, with teenager Redwan Bourles potentially being given a chance to shine in midfield.
Nice have just two players unavailable through injury, with defender Robson Bambu struggling with a shoulder problem and midfielder Alexis Claude Maurice out due to a broken foot.
Galtier will have former Southampton and Fulham man Mario Lemina back from suspension, however. Which of his central midfielders will make way is in the balance, with the manager having rotated parts of his team at points already this season.
Lorient possible starting lineup:
Nardi; Le Goff, Mendes, Laporte, Jenz, Silva; Monconduit, Abergel, Bourles; Lauriente, Moffi
Nice possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Bard, Todibo, Dante, Lotomba; Boudaoui, Rosario, Lemina, Stengs; Gouiri, Dolberg
We say: Lorient 1-2 Nice
Lorient's good run of form and giant-killings may come to an end here against a strong Nice side.
Their two most impressive scalps - Monaco and Lille - started the season poorly and Pelissier's side will likely struggle against the expansive style of their opponents.
Top tip
body check tags ::
