Europe hopefuls Toulouse welcome Champions League-chasing Nice in Sunday's gameweek 20 Ligue 1 action at Stadium de Toulouse.

Les Violets are winless in three league games, losing two during the ongoing run, while their fourth-placed opponents look to avoid consecutive away league defeats for the first time since March 2023.

Match preview

Although Toulouse have not finished in the top half since regaining promotion to Ligue 1 in 2022, this year has presented an opportunity for European qualification.

Carles Martinez Novell's men are 10th in the standings — three spots higher than the 2022-23 season and one place better than last season — but only five points separate the 10th-placed club from Lyon in sixth and seven adrift of fifth-placed Lille.

With eight points separating Novell's side from this weekend's visitors, Toulouse could end the weekend just five shy of the league's current fourth-placed side.

However, a three-match sequence without claiming maximum points has dampened the mood following 2-1 losses to Strasbourg and Montpellier HSC either side of a goalless encounter with Lyon.

The continental hopefuls hope to avoid matching this season's longest run without securing a victory — from late September to late November when they picked up one point from 12 — keen to avoid slipping further behind sixth-placed Lyon or sliding below 10th given that Auxerre are two points adrift and Reims are three behind.

Nice have their own aspirations heading into this weekend, and Franck Haise will be aware of the Eaglets losing one of the previous eight in this fixture, though that reverse was in last season's corresponding meeting.

Nevertheless, the club in fourth, keen to move on from a miserable Europa League campaign that saw Le Gym finish second-bottom, could secure their fourth away league success this term despite falling to a 2-1 loss in mid-January at Lille.

That disappointment was Nice's first road defeat since December 1 — a 4-1 loss at Lyon — which followed a 2-2 draw at Montpellier and a 4-2 victory over Reims, highlighting their proclivity for high-scoring matches on their travels in the past two months.

Recent setbacks on the road since losing consecutive away games at Lyon and this weekend's hosts last year have typically been followed by a win or draw; Haise hopes to continue that pattern by avoiding a loss on Sunday.

Last season's 2-1 defeat in Toulouse was the only time Nice have lost to gameweek 20's opponents in eight, and maximum points could take the Eaglets (33 points) above Monaco on 34 if the latter slip up at home to Auxerre.

Contrarily, a disappointing outcome could see the Eaglets leapfrogged by a Lille side a point adrift in the standings, while Lyon and Lens, both three points behind, could put pressure on Les Aiglons if round 20 goes awry.

Team News

Niklas Schmidt remains a long-term absentee for Toulouse, and the trio of Djibril Sidibe, Rasmus Nicolaisen and Vincent Sierro could join the midfield man on the sidelines.

Only Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola's five match-winning goals better Zakaria Aboukhlal's four in Ligue 1, and the wide attacker aims to add to his tally of decisive contributions this weekend.

Nice have several players missing through injury, with Jeremie Boga, Morgan Sanson and Victor Orakpo nearing returns, while Pablo Rosario and long-term absentee Terem Moffi are out.

Although Gaetan Laborde has matched Aboukhlal's six league goals, the Eaglets forward's three game-clinching efforts are one shy of the Moroccan winger's tally; the Frenchman could move level with the Toulouse attacker this weekend.

Toulouse possible starting lineup:
Restes; Canvot, McKenzie, Akdag; Donnum, Casseres, Genreau, Suazo; Aboukhlal, Gboho; King

Nice possible starting lineup:
Bulka; Abdelmonem, Ndayishimiye, Dante; Clauss, Santmaria, Ndombele, Abdi; Bouanani, Cho; Laborde

We say: Toulouse 1-1 Nice

Despite Nice's impressive record against Toulouse, the Eaglets' only away victory in the last four league visits since 2018 was in February 2020, with two draws and one defeat in that period.

The spoils could be shared between both sides on Sunday, thus extending the home side's wait for a league win and seeing Haise's side go back-to-back away matches without maximum points.


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