January 3, 2025. 10:00 p.m. Nice. Allianz Riviera Stadium
French Championship, 16th day
Absent: Kloss, Nandju (Nice)
Injured: Abdi, Mendy, Dante, Boga, Abdelmonem, Shaw, Sanson, Moffi, Orokpo, Ndajimiye – Seidu
The French Championship resumes after a brief festive break. Friday, during the 16th day of Ligue 1, Nice will host Rennes at the Allianz Riviera Stadium. The local side finished 2024 in 6th place, a ranking that keeps them in contention for a place in European competition, while the visitors, seven points behind, look to move away from the zone of relegation.
Nice
The last three matches of last year were hardly encouraging for Nice. In their first meeting, the Aiglons lost to Belgian side Union and stagnated near the bottom of their Europa League group. The defeat extinguished any hopes for Eze’s men of progressing beyond the group stage, meaning their two European encounters in January effectively came down to friendlies. In Ligue 1, the Aiglons led twice in an away match against relegated Montpellier, but had to settle for a 2:2 draw. Finally, in the cup, a shot from Nandju in the first half made the task much more difficult for the Eze team, who were eliminated on penalties by a fifth division team.
However, the first half of the season in Ligue 1 cannot be considered a failure for Nice, as their 6th place, just three points behind the Champions League places, suggests so. They have lost only three games out of 16, with just one defeat in their last ten meetings. All three defeats came away against Auxerre, Marseille and Lyon. They have an even record of six points shared and six wins.
At the Allianz Riviera Stadium, Eze’s men are even more convincing, remaining undefeated with four victories, including one against Monaco. Their biggest win of the current Ligue 1 season was an 8-0 sweep of Saint-Étienne. Some draws can also be seen as positive results, notably against PSG and Lille, where they managed to come back from being behind each time. Nice’s goal streak has reached nine games, the longest since 2021. In their next match against Rennes, the Aiglons could well continue this positive trend, having lost only three times against this opponent in the last 18 meetings.
Rennes
Rennes ended 2024 on a high note, beating Angers 2:0 in their final league match thanks to goals from Grenbeck and Assignon. They followed up with a 4:1 victory over Bordeaux in the cup, qualifying for the round of 32.
However, the year 2024 cannot be considered a success for Rennes overall. Last season, for the first time in seven years, they failed to qualify for European competitions. Additionally, at the start of the new campaign, points were hard to come by, with only three wins from their first ten games, which underlined that Stephan’s second term in charge of the team had been a failure, leading to his dismissal, notably after a humiliating 0:4 away defeat to Auxerre in early November.
Sampaoli took over, marking his second stint in Ligue 1 after Marseille. The Argentine coach has enjoyed some initial success, with two home wins against Saint-Étienne and Angers allowing his side to breathe a little easier ahead of the festive period, moving them four points clear of the relegation zone. However, away performance problems persist for Rennes, whose away statistics are disastrous: only one point from seven games, obtained in October after a draw against Brest. Their last three defeats ended goalless, including a 0:1 loss to potential relegation rivals Nantes. Interestingly, Rennes had already started 2022 and 2023 against Nice, winning both times, but doing so on their home turf. Continuing this successful run at the start of the year won’t be easy given their dismal away performances.
Nice vs Rennes: Predicted line-ups
Nice continues to suffer from a multitude of injuries: Abdi, Mendy, Dante, Boga, Abdelmonem, Shaw, Sanson, Moffi, Orokpo, Ndajimiye. Additionally, Kloss and Nandju are suspended. Rennes only has Seidu in its infirmary.
Nice vs Rennes: Author’s prediction
Nice have scored and conceded in their last nine games in all competitions, so it is likely that another high-stakes match involving the Aiglons is on the cards. The hosts are also likely to extend Rennes’ disappointing run of away games.
