Nice and Saint-Etienne square off in the second leg of their Ligue 1 relegation playoff tie on Friday night.
The first leg at the home of Saint-Etienne ended in a goalless draw, with both clubs arguably taking the positives from that encounter.
While Nice are bidding to avoid relegation to the second tier of French football for the first time since 2001, Saint-Etienne are looking for an immediate bounce-back to the top tier.
How the bookies see it: Nice given edge in potential close battle
Despite their Ligue 1 status, Nice are only priced by Bet365 at 19/20, bigger betting odds than may have been envisaged.
That said, an attractive-looking 7/2 is on offer for Saint-Etienne, with the draw after 90 minutes standing at 11/5.
Head to head: Nice dominating recent fixtures
With Saint-Etienne having been present in Ligue 1 during 2024-25, the teams squared off during the last campaign.
Nice prevailed both times, including at Allianz Riviera in September 2024 when they posted an incredible 8-0 victory. The reverse fixture ended in a 3-1 success.
The teams also met in an early Coupe de France tie in December, with Nice coming through by a 2-1 scoreline on home territory.
They are currently on a six-match unbeaten streak against Saint-Etienne (W5 D1) since suffering a 1-0 home defeat in January 2021.
Player to watch: Can Stassin star for Saint-Etienne?
With eight goals and two assists from 33 Ligue 1 outings this season, Sofiane Diop brings one of Nice's biggest threats.
However, not only was he withdrawn after 63 minutes of the first leg, the Morocco international has netted just one goal since February 8.
Mohamed-Ali Cho is also on a long streak without a goal, but the versatile attacker could again lead the line.
Regardless of the outcome, Lucas Stassin may be playing his last game for Saint-Etienne having contributed another 11 goals and nine assists this campaign.
The Belgium international now has 23 strikes and 14 assists from 63 appearances for Saint-Etienne.
Probable lineups:
There were three injury-related substitutions during the first leg: One for Nice and two for Saint-Etienne.
Charles Vanhoutte appears likely to replace Hicham Boudaoui in the Nice midfield.
Irvin Cardona and Zuriko Davitashvili were withdrawn during the second half for Saint-Etienne.
If required, Joao Ferreira and Igor Miladinovic could be introduced into the team, with Augustine Boakye potentially moving into a wide role.
Nice: Diouf; Mendy, Peprah Oppong, Bah, Bard; Vanhoutte, Sanson; Clauss, Diop, Gouveia; Cho
Saint-Etienne: Larssoneur; Pedro, Le Cardinal, Bernauer, Appiah; Gadegbeku, Kante; Ferreira, Miladinovic, Boakye; Stassin
Anything else catch the eye?
While Nice won just four of their 17 Ligue 1 fixtures at Allianz Riviera, they only suffered five defeats.
The last three such games – against Le Havre, Lens and Metz – have ended in draws.
Nice have won just one of their most recent fixtures in all competitions, that being a 2-0 triumph away at Strasbourg in the Coupe de France semi-finals.
Their last success at Allianz Riveira in any competition was a 3-2 victory over Montpellier in the Coupe de France at the start of February.
Saint-Etienne accumulated 25 points from their 17 away games in Ligue 1, albeit still losing on six occasions.
They are currently on a run of three consecutive clean sheets, but they have failed to score in three of their last six outings.
Interested in why both teams scoring – or not scoring – is such a strong angle? Check out our Masterclass on BTTS and sharpen your match-reading game.
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