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NederlandNice will endeavour to continue their rich vein of form when they pay a visit to the Stade de la Beaujoire to take on relegation-threatened Nantes on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts were held to a 1-1 draw by fellow strugglers Lorient before the international break, whereas Nice comfortably overcame Marseille by three goals to nil.
Match preview
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There were 85 minutes between Nantes and Lorient's goals at the Stade de la Beaujoire on March 21, but it was worth the wait as Lorient forward Armand Lauriente produced one of the goals of the season to rescue a point for his side in a 1-1 stalemate.
Nantes took just two minutes to break the deadlock as Randal Kolo Muani tapped home at the back post, but with 87 minutes on the clock, Lauriente's unbelievable free kick from 40 yards sailed into the top corner of the net to leave Les Canaris and Antoine Kombouare shell-shocked.
It was a goal worthy of winning any game, but the two sides eventually shook hands on a draw, with that result seeing Nantes drop back into the bottom two after Nimes produced one of the shocks of the season by overcoming title-chasing Lille in the same weekend.
Kombouare has helped to steady the ship since taking the reins, but that draw with Lorient stretched Nantes' winless run at home to 12 league matches since a 3-1 win over Brest in October. Only basement side Dijon (16) are enduring a longer barren run at home, and Nantes have never suffered a worse drought on home soil in the premier division.
While Les Canaris have managed to find the back of the net in their last seven matches, they have failed to keep clean sheets in any of those games - not exactly a morale-boosting statistic before Amine Gouiri takes to the pitch at the Stade de la Beaujoire - but their triumph at Paris Saint-Germain is still fresh in the memory and should serve them well this weekend.
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The revelation that is Gouiri was once again on top form as Nice crushed Marseille 3-0 at the Allianz Riviera last time out, with the 20-year-old assisting Khephren Thuram for the opener before doubling his side's tally in the 74th minute to put the game to bed.
Alexis Claude-Maurice - enjoying life in his new midfield role - added a third for Nice in the dying embers of the match, as Adrien Ursea witnessed his side win for the third time in four Ligue 1 matches to keep any faint hopes of a spot in Europe alive.
Les Aiglons now lie in 11th spot in the table and are still nine points adrift of the top five, but their recent results are that of a side who are playing with elegance and flair - not exactly a surprise with Gouiri boasting five goals and three assists from his last six matches - so a top-half finish is now the minimum requirement for Ursea and Nice.
Having taken 10 points from the last 12 on offer in Ligue 1, Nice are hitting top gear at just the right time as they bid to secure a second consecutive season of continental football, but it may prove to be too little too late if the sides above them begin winning on a consistent basis.
Nice managed to claim a 2-1 win over Nantes when Patrick Vieira was in charge back in October, and while Les Canaris did manage to win this fixture 1-0 last season, that represents their only triumph from their last eight attempts against their upcoming opponents.
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Team News
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Nantes manager Kombouare has confirmed that defensive duo Fabio and Sebastien Corchia are back for this encounter, although it would be a surprise to see either player risked from the first whistle.
Renaud Emond - nursing a sprain - is therefore the only absentee for Nantes, but Kolo Muani could become the first Canaris player to score in three consecutive matches this season and is in no danger of losing his place up top.
Imran Louza has struggled to become a consistent starter over the past few weeks and will likely be restricted to a place on the bench if Kombouare keeps faith with his three-at-the-back system.
Morgan Schneiderlin had just managed to force his way back into the Nice team before being handed a suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards, so Pierre Lees Melou should return to the engine room.
William Saliba, who is yet to be dribbled past in Ligue 1 this season, tested positive for coronavirus before the win over Marseille and his participation here is also in doubt, while Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Dante are long-term absentees.
However, Hicham Boudaoui has made a quicker-than-expected return to training and could be available again soon, and Youcef Atal will push for a start after returning from his latest injury off the bench against Marseille.
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Castelletto, Pallois, Girotto; Coco, Blas, Toure, Chirivella, Traore; Simon, Kolo Muani
Nice possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Lotomba, Todibo, Daniliuc, Kamara; Thuram, Lees Melou, Claude-Maurice; Maolida, Dolberg, Gouiri
We say: Nantes 0-2 Nice
Even without the highly-rated Saliba in defence, 19-year-old Flavius Daniliuc and 21-year-old Jean-Clair Todibo form a formidable wall in the Nice rearguard, and Nantes may struggle to break them down. Kombouare has overseen a slight upturn in fortunes, but Ursea's Nice are working at full throttle and have plenty to offer going forward, so we can only envisage another win for Les Aiglons.
