OGC Nice approach derby with AS Monaco with pessimism
There was little room for optimism as OGC Nice succumbed to a 1-0 defeat away to Ferencvaros in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, just three days before they face local rivals AS Monaco in the Derby de la Côte d’Azur.
More generally, results have been lacking since Franck Haise’s arrival; Nice have won just two games in all competitions this season. One of them was a 8-0 hammering of AS Saint-Étienne, which Haise has described as an “illusory” result. However, generally, performances have been strong, for example during their 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain, or even in defeat to another rival Olympique de Marseille.
Monaco in top form
However, the defeat and the manner of it were a cause for concern for Haise ahead of a key fixture. “I didn’t feel this attitude problem coming,” began Haise following Thursday night’s defeat in Hungary. “The first lever is having this derby against a team (Monaco) that is largely superior in every domain.”
You can certainly say that pessimism reigns at Nice as they prepare to host Les Monégasques at the Allianz Riviera on Sunday. Monaco are currently joint-top in Ligue 1, with PSG, whilst they are also unbeaten in all competitions and beat Crvena Zvezda in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. The dynamic could hardly be more different.