Ligue 1 | Gameweek 9

Oct 27, 2024 at 4pm UK

Allianz Riviera

Nice vs Monaco

Match preview

Franck Haise hasn't had the best start to his first season as Nice boss. His side has won two, drawn four and lost two of their opening eight league matches.

The most recent of those victories was on 20 September, when they scored freely to win 8-0 at home against Saint-Etienne.

Nice haven't been able to build on that result. They've had to settle for draws in each of their last three league games 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. That means Haise's side has gone six matches without a win.

The main talking points from the unsuccessful away match were Moises Bombito's own goal and Pablo Rosario's late red card. Unfortunately, Nice is in the league phase with just one point to their name.

Les Aiglons will be eager to end their poor run of form in Sunday's derby clash. However, their chances of claiming all three points may be affected by the fact that they've failed to win their last five competitive home games against Monaco (D1, L4) since they recorded a 2-1 win in March 2020.

Monaco are still going strong in the 2024-25 season, with eight wins and three draws in their 11 matches across all competitions.

The most recent game in this impressive run took place on Tuesday, when Monaco produced a dominant home performance to win 5-1 in their Champions League clash with Red Star Belgrade.

Takumi Minamino scored twice, along with Breel Embolo, Wilfried Singo and Maghnes Akliouche, to take Monaco up to seven points, leaving them in fourth place after three Champions League matchdays.

They'll now be focusing on their domestic games. Adi Hutter's team is looking good for the title after getting 20 points from their first eight games. That puts them in second place, just behind PSG on goal difference.

Monaco are currently tied with Lens for the best defensive record in Ligue 1, having only conceded four goals 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.

Recent Performance

Nice Ligue 1 form:WLWDDD

Nice form (all competitions):DDLDDL

Monaco Ligue 1 form:DWWWWD

Monaco form (all competitions):WWDWDW

Injuries and suspensions

Nice

26 Melvin Bard

11 Morgan Sanson

22 Tanguy Ndombélé

9 Terem Moffi

Monaco

22 Mohammed Salisu

4 Jordan Teze

37 Edan Diop

9 Folarin Balogun

Team News

Nice are still without Terem Moffi, who is set to miss the majority of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in pre-season.

It looks like Tanguy Ndombele and Youssouf Ndayishimiye won't be playing, as they've been out the last two matches with hip and hamstring injuries, respectively.

Dante might be a doubt after missing the Europa League clash against Ferencvaros with a back issue, while it's unclear whether Morgan Sanson will be ready to make the 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.

The visitors will be without Edan Diop and Mamadou Coulibaly, while Jordan Teze will start a two-match suspension after being sent off against Lille.

Folarin Balogun is on track to return from a shoulder injury sooner than expected, but he'll remain unavailable for the upcoming derby match. 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.

Possible starting lineups

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