Nice and Monaco will renew hostilities when they face off in the Derby de la Cote d’Azur in Sunday’s Ligue 1 clash at the Allianz Riviera.
Monaco head into the weekend in second spot in the Ligue 1 table, while the hosts will begin matchday nine in eighth position.
Match preview
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Franck Haise has experienced an underwhelming start to his first season as Nice boss, having seen his side win two, draw four and lose two of their opening eight league matches.
The most recent of those victories took place on September 20 when they produced a free-scoring display to cruise to an 8-0 home win over Saint-Etienne.
Nice have been unable to build upon that result, having had to settle for draws in each of their last three league outings against Lens, Paris Saint-Germain and Nantes.
Unfortunately for Nice, they followed their recent 1-1 draw against Nantes with a narrow 1-0 defeat in Thursday’s Europa League away clash against Ferencvaros, leaving Haise’s side without a win in six competitive matches.
A Moises Bombito own goal and a late Pablo Rosario red card proved to be the main talking points of an unsuccessful away which has left Nice in place in the league phase with just one point to their name.
Les Aiglons will be desperate to end their poor run of form in Sunday’s derby clash, but their hopes of claiming all three points may be tempered by the fact they have failed to win their last five competitive home games against Monaco (D1, L4) since they recorded a 2-1 win in March 2020.
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Monaco are yet to taste defeat in the 2024-25 season after winning eight and drawing three of their 11 matches in all competitions.
The most recent game of that impressive run took place on Tuesday when Monaco produced a dominant home performance to clinch a 5-1 victory in their Champions League clash with Red Star Belgrade.
Takumi Minamino netted a brace alongside goals from Breel Embolo, Wilfried Singo and Maghnes Akliouche to move Monaco onto seven points, leaving them in fourth place after three Champions League matchdays.
They will now turn their focus back to domestic action, with Adi Hutter’s side looking set to mount a serious title charge after taking 20 points from their first eight matches, ensuring they head into the weekend in second position and behind PSG on goal difference.
Monaco currently share the joint-best defensive record with Lens, having conceded just four goals in Ligue 1 this season.
The visitors have also won all three of their away league games this season, and they may fancy their chances of claiming three more points after winning three of their last four top-flight away games against Nice.
Nice Ligue 1 form:
Nice form (all competitions):
Monaco Ligue 1 form:
Monaco form (all competitions):
Team News
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Nice remain without the services of long-term absentee Terem Moffi, who is set to miss the majority of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in pre-season.
Tanguy Ndomeble and Youssouf Ndayishimiye are unlikely to feature, having sat out the last two matches due to hip and hamstring injuries respectively.
Dante is a doubt after missing the Europa League clash against Ferencvaros with a back issue, while it remains to be seen whether Morgan Sanson is ready to make a matchday squad for the first time this season.
Ali Abdi, Jeremie Boga and Youssoufa Moukoko could all be considered for recalls after dropping out of the starting lineup on Thursday.
As for the visitors, they are unable to call upon the services of Edan Diop and Mamadou Coulibaly, while Jordan Teze will start a two-match suspension after being shown a straight red card against Lille.
Folarin Balogun sustained a shoulder injury against Rennes earlier this month and is expected to be out of action until late November.
Defender Mohammed Salisu is unlikely to be involved in Sunday’s fixture, having been forced to miss the last two matches with a hamstring injury.
Aleksandr Golovin is pushing for a recall after featuring as a substitute in Tuesday’s Champions League win over Red Star.
Nice possible starting lineup:
Bulka; Mendy, Bombito, Abdelmonem; Clauss, Boudaoui, Rosario, Abdi; Guessand, Boga, Moukoko
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Majecki; Vanderson, Singo, Kehrer, Henrique; Zakaria, Camara; Akliouche, Minamino, Golovin; Embolo
Monaco have won all three of their away league matches this season, and while we think they will continue to showcase their quality on the road by claiming maximum points in Sunday’s derby clash to condemn Nice to their first home defeat of the season.
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