Saint-Etienne welcome Nice to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Ligue 1 on Saturday, looking to avenge Franck Haise's men for the embarrassing defeat inflicted on them in the reverse fixture.
Nice thrashed Les Verts 8-0 back in September, which was the second-largest margin of defeat in the club's history, and the difference in league positions suggests that gulf in class is still in place.
Match preview
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Seeking to exact their revenge on Nice, Saint-Etienne must improve on poor form that has left them mired in relegation trouble.
The hosts have won just one of their last 11 league games, losing seven in the process, and last week's draw with Angers will have felt like another one.
After coming back from two goals down to lead 3-2, ASSE were flattened by Bamba Dieng's 94th-minute equaliser, missing a huge opportunity to take three points in the midst of a favourable run of games.
The bottom two both lost so Saint-Etienne did move one point further away from the automatic relegation places, but they remain 16th in the playoff spot, three points adrift of safety with an inferior goal difference.
It will be the bottom two of Le Havre and Montpellier who Saint-Etienne face next after this clash with Nice, but they are both away from home, and the side are yet to taste victory on the road in Ligue 1 this season.
All five wins have come at the Guichard, with 89% of their points being picked up at home, and manager Eirik Horneland will be desperate for his side to tap into that form here for what would be a crucial three points.
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Nice's 8-0 win in the reverse tied up the head-to-head record at 43 wins apiece, and the visitors will now expect to go ahead in that regard in what will be their 2,400th Ligue 1 match.
In the club's league history, they will have not gone on many better runs than the one they have enjoyed at the start of 2025, taking 19 points from a possible 24, sitting level with runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain for the most in the division.
Haise's side may have been dumped out of the Coupe de France and Europa League in embarrassing circumstances, but they are now in the driving seat to reach the Champions League proper next season for the first time since it was the European Cup in 1960.
Fourth-tier Stade Briochin beat them in the Coupe, and Nice won none of their eight Europa League league phase matches, but they are now on a run of three straight league wins after beating Montpellier last weekend.
That kept them third, and they extended their lead over fourth place after Lille beat Monaco, and they should be confident of claiming a second straight away win in this one for the first time in over 18 months.
Team News
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Irvin Cardona is a doubt for the hosts after being forced off in the latter stages of the draw with Angers last week, just after netting a brace in the 3-3 draw.
The on-loan striker does not have the best record against Nice though, failing to score in any of his seven career appearances against Les Aiglons.
Ben Old remains sidelined with a knee injury for ASSE, while Ibrahima Wadji and Dennis Appiah are also unlikely to recover in time to feature.
Nice will have left-back Melvin Bard available again after he served a one-match ban in the win over Montpellier last weekend, and he should take back his place in the team.
On the opposite flank, Jonathan Clauss has been the man-in-form for Haise's side, with two goals and two clean sheets in Nice's last three games, which have all ended in victory.
Morgan Sanson and Terem Moffi remain the two players sidelined with injury for Nice, after the recent returns of Jeremie Boga and Pablo Rosario from respective setbacks.
Saint-Etienne possible starting lineup:
Larsonneur; Macon, Batubinsika, Nade, Petrot; Bouchouari, Ekwah, Tardieu; Boakye, Stassin, Davitashvili
Nice possible starting lineup:
Bulka; Clauss, Ndayishimiye, Bombito, Dante, Bard; Boudaoui, Santamaria; Guessand, Laborde, Cho
We say: Saint-Etienne 1-3 Nice
Nice have only kept two clean sheets in 12 away Ligue 1 matches, but their attacking talent is often on hand to bail them out, as they have lost just one of their last five on the road, and manager Haise will be expecting another win here, given their superb start to 2025.
Saint-Etienne are in dire need of a victory, and will have only been demoralised further by the late equaliser they conceded on home soil last weekend against Angers, ahead of an even tougher task here.
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Andrew Delaney
