The French Ligue 1 action continues on Sunday with Metz playing host to Nice at their Stade Saint-Symphorien with the hosts looking to post back-to-back wins upon their return to home soil.
Metz recorded a 1-0 win away from home at Reims last Sunday which lifted them up into 16th place and giving them a two-point cushion above third from bottom outfit, Lorient, who occupy the relegation play-off spot but although Metz have also picked up wins against Nice and Lorient in recent times, league wins in general have been hard to come by.
🍿 The unseen footage from the win in Nantes, the Rouge et Noir in training and all the other images from the week are in the 217th #ZapGym #OGCNice 🔴⚫️➡️https://t.co/LqUzx3AgLe pic.twitter.com/V3LoWyqDKZ— OGC Nice 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@ogcnice_eng) January 20, 2022
🍿 The unseen footage from the win in Nantes, the Rouge et Noir in training and all the other images from the week are in the 217th #ZapGym #OGCNice 🔴⚫️➡️https://t.co/LqUzx3AgLe pic.twitter.com/V3LoWyqDKZ
Indeed, Metz have collected just three wins out of their last 13 matches in the French top flight, two of which have been achieved on their travels while results and form at home have been disappointing to say the least.
Metz have registered just the one home win out of their last 18 games on home soil at their Stade Saint-Symphorien which also includes 11 defeats, so it’s fair to say that the hosts are by no means a guaranteed three points here this Sunday.
2nd placed Nice hold a two-point lead over 3rd placed Marseille but the visitors know they must keep winning if they’re to stave off the challengers below them in order to secure a top two finish behind the runaway league leaders, PSG.
After a mini wobble which saw Nice suffer losses to Metz (1-0 at home) and a 3-0 loss to Strasbourg, the visitors have since clicked into gear by winning their last four games in Ligue 1 on the trot.
Recent victories over Rennes, Lens, Brest and Nantes have not only seen a welcome change in fortunes for Nice but has also helped the visitors into serious contention for a spot in next season’s Champions League.
Nice are also unbeaten in their last five games on their travels, picking up four wins in the process while the bigger picture shows that Nice have lost just two of their last 11 matches on the road as well.
In addition, Nice have achieved no fewer than eight wins away from home during this period as well, so the visitors look the more likely to find a way to capture the all-important three points in this clash on Sunday lunchtime.