Angers host Nice on Sunday as the 2020-21 Ligue 1 campaign continues, with the two sides surprisingly only separated by a solitary point.
The hosts have taken seven points from their last three matches to move up to eighth in the table, with Patrick Vieira's Nice doing likewise to occupy fifth position.
Match preview
Stephane Moulin's side are establishing themselves as a solid Ligue 1 side now, with this season being Angers' sixth consecutive campaign in France's top flight and having been 11th in the table last season prior to the curtailment of all French football due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The impressive 2-1 win at Rennes, who are competing in the Champions League this season, last weekend showed how dangerous Angers can be on their day. Adrien Hunou opened the scoring for the hosts early in the first half, but that turned out to be Rennes' only shot on target of the match as former Southampton winger Sofiane Boufal and Angelo Fulgini earned their side the three points.
Boufal has made a real impact in his two matches so far at his new club, displaying the dainty dribbling everyone knows he is capable of while adding end product, too. Having scored 11 goals for Lille in this division five seasons ago, he is a player more than capable of helping Angers remain at the right end of the table.
Moulin will be more than aware his side are in for a real test on Sunday, however, against a physical side they did not manage to get the better of in either league meeting last campaign.
Nice were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Lille last weekend, but with their opponents in that match currently sitting level on points at the top of the table with Paris Saint-Germain, a share of the spoils was not a bad outcome at all for Vieira's side.
Kasper Dolberg had given his side the lead early in the second half, before Burak Yilmaz levelled for Lille nine minutes later in a very even encounter.
Nice followed up that draw with a crucial 1-0 win over Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the Europa League on Thursday, with Amine Gouiri's fifth goal of the season separating the sides. Having been hammered 6-2 by Bayer Leverkusen in the opening match of the competition, nothing less than three points would have sufficed against the Israeli outfit in order to get themselves back into a strong position in Group C.
Attention must return back to the league, however, with Vieira more than aware that a win at Angers could see his side move into a Champions League qualification position at this early stage of proceedings.
Angers Ligue 1 form: LWLWDW
Nice Ligue 1 form: LLDWWD
Nice form (all competitions): DWWLDW
Team News
Angers will be without Enzo Ebosse for the majority of the season after the full-back ruptured his cruciate ligament in the win at Rennes.
Moulin is otherwise unlikely to change the starting XI which won so impressively at Rennes last weekend, with Boufal, Fulgini and Stephane Bahoken combining extremely well in attack.
Vieira, meanwhile, appears to be in the enviable position of having no injuries whatsoever to contend with for the trip to Angers.
Gouiri is likely to return to the side having surprisingly been left on the bench against Lille, with Rony Lopes preferred alongside Dolberg in that match.
Angers possible starting lineup:
Bernardoni; Manceau, Traore, Thomas, Doumbia; Amadou, Mangani; Cabot, Fulgini, Boufal; Bahoken
Nice possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Lotomba, Robson, Dante, Nsoki, Kamara; Lees-Melou, Schneiderlin, Claude Maurice; Gouiri, Dolberg
We say: Angers 1-1 Nice
With both sides in impressive form of late, neither manager would be too disappointed with a share of the points here to keep their unbeaten runs going.
Angers will be fresher with Nice having Europa League football to contend with in midweek, which could give them the edge against a Nice side who are generally a stronger defensive unit.
Top betting tip
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