Allianz Riviera stages a tidy early-season marker as Nice welcome Nantes. Nice have started briskly, mixing control with sharp breaks; Nantes have kept things tight but need a touch more punch. Expect a healthy home crowd with a decent away following making themselves heard down in the Sud.

Tactical picture: Nice should be a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 blend: two solid screeners, width from the forwards, and a direct outlet through the middle. Nantes are more pragmatic in a 4-3-3 that can drop into a compact 4-5-1, keen on counters and set-plays. It’s front-foot hosts versus organised travellers; whoever controls transitions likely takes it.

Nice

Doubts linger over Dante (knee), Ali Abdi (groin), Tanguy Ndombele (hernia), plus knocks for Morgan Sanson, Youssouf Ndayishimiye, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Moïse Bombito, Terem Moffi and Mohamed-Ali Cho. If Moffi is eased back, Evann Guessand or Gaëtan Laborde can lead the line, with Pablo Rosario/Salis Abdul Samed giving balance in midfield and Badredine Bouanani offering the spark from wide.

Nantes

Fabien Centonze (shoulder), Mayckel Lahdo (muscle), Herba Guirassy (hamstring) and Anthony Lopes (knock) are listed as doubts. Expect a sturdy core with Johann Lepenant/Hyeok-kyu Kwon screening, and finishing duty likely shared by Mostafa Mohamed and Matthis Abline if both are ready to go.

Note: Only players provided on the verified current lists are referenced.

Nice (last 10 competitive): a steady run featuring solid wins over Toulouse and Strasbourg, a narrow loss at Montpellier and draws with Lille and PSG in the wider sample. They’re averaging 1.5 scored and 0.75 conceded, with half of their games under 2.5 and a single clean sheet from the early batch. The trend is calm control with quick surges down the flanks.

Nantes (last 10 competitive): disciplined rather than explosive. A tidy home win against Montpellier sits alongside a 0-0 at Lille and a pair of narrow defeats. They average 0.75 scored and 1.0 conceded, leaning to low-scoring affairs (three-quarters under 2.5). Set-plays and counters remain their best route.

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Nice at home (last 10): strong return at the Allianz Riviera with a healthy win rate and a goals profile around the figures above. They rarely get rattled early and tend to build patiently before striking.

Nantes away (last 10): compact and stubborn. Scoring can be patchy on their travels but they do keep teams honest, with several low-margin results and a fair number of clean sheets.

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Nice – Badredine Bouanani: lively on the right, he carries the ball at pace and links well with the central striker. His delivery from open play suits Nice’s late-arriving midfielders.

Nantes – Mostafa Mohamed: focal point up top, aggressive in the box and a constant nuisance on crosses. If Nantes create two or three good moments, he’s usually at the heart of them.

2–0 home win. Nice have the sturdier baseline numbers, more territory and better depth even with a few knocks. Nantes are tidy without the ball but don’t carry masses of threat away from home, so if the hosts score first this could tilt comfortably their way.

Main pick: Nice to win. Their chance creation and defensive record edge this, and Nantes’ away goals trend is modest.

Value angle: Nice to win to nil. Hosts concede under a goal a game and Nantes’ recent away output points to a low chance of them breaching the back line.