a reprieve or shame, Nice on the edge of the abyss in Elfsborg

Nice, which has still not won a single victory in the Europa League, will try to reverse this negative dynamic on Thursday (9:00 p.m.) in Sweden, in Boras, against Elfsborg, with a reshuffled team and the hope of a miraculous qualification .

With two draws and four defeats in six matches, Nice completely missed its European campaign in 2024. The reasons are multiple. First a lack of international culture during the opening of the competition, at home against Real Sociedad (1-1), where Franck Haise’s team had the means to win.

A miracle or the door

Then, the collective involvement was sometimes disastrous, as in Budapest against Ferencvaros (0-1). Finally, the numerous injuries at the heart of the autumn did not allow us to see the best version of the Aiglons, notably against Twente (2-2) and the Glasgow Rangers (1-4), but also in Brussels against the Union Saint-Gilloise (1-2), mid-December, where they, moreover, showed supreme naivety in the last seconds of the match while they held the draw.

However, despite its sometimes abysmal weaknesses, Nice, 35th out of 36 teams in the ranking before this 7th and penultimate day of the league phase, is not yet completely eliminated. To hope to secure 24th place and the last qualifying place for the play-offs, a combination of favorable circumstances would of course be required. But the precondition is that Nice wins its last two matches: against the Swedes of Elfsborg then the Norwegians of Bodo/Glimt on Thursday January 30 at the Allianz Riviera.

To carry out the first part of his mission, Haise, for whom the most important meeting of the week will take place on Sunday evening, at home against Marseille (24:45) during the 19th day of Ligue 1, convened a group of 22 elements , including six young people from the Elite group (Nandjou, Camara, Pereira, Bousnina, Youssouf, Monteiro).

OM in the head

Above all, when leaving the Côte d’Azur for Boras, 60 kilometers south of Gothenburg on Wednesday, he left some of his executives there. Apart from the long-term injured (Moffi, Boga, Sanson and Orakpo), Boudaoui, Laborde, Rosario and Ndombele remained to regenerate and heal on the banks of the Var. Baptiste Santamaria, a recruit who arrived on Tuesday from Rennes and who will be qualified to face OM, accompanies them.

To try to overthrow Elfsborg, currently 24th with 7 points, at the Boras Arena where the Swedes beat Roma (1-0), Qarabag (1-0) and held Braga in check (1-1), Haise however retained some major assets. He will count, for example, on Sofiane Diop, a creative midfielder back at a good level after a year spent off the field due to a pernicious foot injury. Suspended on Sunday for the derby, Diop’s mission will be to lead Nice to victory.

In good shape, within a rediscovered Nice team and rather on a good dynamic (three victories and a defeat in 2025) since the return of numerous injured people, the former Monegasque appreciates “healthy competition, which moves the collective forward“. It also allows Haise to be more demanding and to send a simple message: each Nice resident has everything to gain if they show unfailing involvement during this European trip and, above all, if victory is achieved.

Nice likely team: Dupé (or Bulka) – Mendy, Dante (or Ndayshimiye) (cap), Abdelmonem, Bard – Louchet, Camara – Diop, Bouanani, Cho – Moukoko

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