Nice and Monaco will both be looking to kick-start their Ligue 1 campaigns when they go head-to-head in the Derby de la Côte d'Azur on Sunday night.
The two sides are locked on five points after making disappointing starts to the season. As a result, they find themselves just one point outside the relegation zone.
🎥 Le résumé de la 1ère victoire niçoise de la saison en championnat est disponible 👇#OGCNice #LOSCOGCN— OGC Nice (@ogcnice) August 31, 2022
🎥 Le résumé de la 1ère victoire niçoise de la saison en championnat est disponible 👇#OGCNice #LOSCOGCN
Can Nice claim the Derby de la Côte d'Azur bragging rights on home soil? Or will Monaco spoil the party? It’s time to take a closer look at the teams.
Let’s start with the hosts, Nice, who have registered one win, two draws and two losses so far this season.
The Eagles registered back-to-back draws before suffering back-to-back defeats. However, they finally picked up their first win of the campaign last time out.
Despite seeing just 37% possession against Lille, Nice managed to convert their only two shots on target last weekend.
It is worth noting that only bottom club Ajaccio have scored fewer Ligue 1 goals than Nice’s four this season.
As for Monaco, they beat Strasbourg on the opening weekend but have failed to win any of their last four league games.
In addition to 1-1 draws with Rennes and PSG, the Monegasques have suffered heavy defeats to Lens (1-4) and Troyes (2-4).
Despite their recent home losses, it is worth noting that Monaco are currently enjoying a seven-game unbeaten streak in away Ligue 1 games.
When you look at the bigger picture, Monaco have only lost two of their previous 15 league encounters – although they have won just one of their last six.
Head-to-head: Nice have failed to win any of their past six meetings with Monaco in all competitions, suffering five defeats along the way.
In Ligue 1, Nice have only managed to win one of their last six matches against Monaco – with their last victory coming in 2020.
Team news: Nice have no injuries to worry about, meaning manager Lucien Favre has a full-strength squad to choose from.
On the flip side, Monaco will be without injured pair Myron Boadu (foot) and Kevin Volland (ankle) this weekend.
Given that Nice and Monaco have made slow starts to the season, they will both be eager to avoid defeat on Sunday.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Nice and Monaco will play out a low-scoring draw – with both teams netting under 1.5 goals.