The French top flight action continues on Sunday afternoon and features this upcoming clash between Clermont and Nice when the two teams meet at the Stade Gabriel Montpied with the hosts looking to build upon last weekend’s emphatic victory in Ligue 1.
A crushing 5-0 defeat at home to PSG was not the sort of start to this new Ligue 1 campaign that Clermont would have had in mind and this heavy loss also became Clermont’s third league defeat on the trot in the domestic top flight, having suffered back to back defeats at the end of last season.
Bien arrivés à Tel-Aviv 👌🔴⚫️#OGCNice pic.twitter.com/ZomtT499SE— OGC Nice (@ogcnice) August 17, 2022
Bien arrivés à Tel-Aviv 👌🔴⚫️#OGCNice pic.twitter.com/ZomtT499SE
Losses to Strasbourg and Lyon had threatened to dump Clermont into the relegation play-off spot but luckily for Sunday’s hosts, Saint Etienne were unable to capitalise on Clermont’s slip-ups as Saint Etienne failed to win any of their final six games.
Nevertheless, Clermont were able to shrug off that humiliating defeat on the opening day as they bounced back with a useful 4-2 win away from home at Reims and they now return to their Stade Gabriel Montpied for this Sunday’s clash with Nice.
Nice have made an indifferent start to this new Ligue 1 campaign as the visitors have drawn both of their opening two matches to date this term, sharing the spoils with Toulouse and Strasbourg and both in 1-1 stalemates.
Results overall in Ligue 1 though have been fairly inconsistent where Nice have been concerned and these ultimately cost the visitors in both the qualifying rounds of the Champions League and the Europa League as well.
Nice finished last term then in 5th place which meant Europa Conference League participation this season but they have at least put together a three-match unbeaten run in the French top flight prior to this Sunday’s trip to Clermont.
This sequence includes a 3-2 win away from home at Reims on the final day of last season which helped Nice stave off the challenge from Strasbourg for the 5th place finish but results on the road must improve if Nice are to be considered serious challengers for a top three or four finish this season.
Nice have picked up just two away wins in their last nine outings on the road but they do hold a good record against Clermont, winning two of the previous three encounters.
It’s still early days though and with neither team in blistering form right now, a draw could be on the cards this Sunday.