Nice will endeavour to make it three wins out of three in Ligue 1 when they travel to the Stade de la Mosson to take on Montpellier HSC on Saturday afternoon.

In contrast, Montpellier kicked off their 2020-21 campaign with a 2-1 loss to Rennes in the final weekend of August.

Match preview

A clash with a Rennes side buoyed by Champions League qualification was always going to be a difficult challenge for Montpellier, and Michel Der Zakarian's men ultimately came up short in their first game of the season.

Rennes took the spoils courtesy of a 2-1 victory, with Gaetan Laborde's late header proving no more than a mere consolation for Montpellier, who also had Florent Mollet sent off before the half-time whistle blew.

Zakarian will no doubt be disappointed by the manner of his side's defeat to Rennes, but there is still plenty of time for La Paillade to put things right as they bid to improve on last season's eighth-placed finish.

Zakarian's men were only one point off Europa League qualification when the 2019-20 season was curtailed, although Montpellier are now coming up against a Nice side who are currently leading the way at this very early stage of the campaign.

Montpellier have a midweek clash against last season's Champions League semi-finalists Lyon to contend with after the meeting with Nice, so a first three points of the season for La Paillade here would give them the confidence to push on and give Lyon a good run for their money on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Nice maintained their perfect start to the new campaign as they recorded a straightforward 2-0 victory at Strasbourg, with Kasper Dolberg bagging a brace for the league leaders.

Patrick Vieira witnessed his side enjoy a 2-1 triumph over Lens in their inaugural game of the season, and Nice will aspire to keep their momentum going in the top flight before the Europa League comes into play.

As things stand, Nice are the only side with six points to show from their games this season, but Vieira's side could lose their status as table-toppers should Bordeaux prevail against Lyon on Friday.

Les Aiglons did suffer a 3-2 defeat in a friendly match against Monaco last Friday, but there is no need for Vieira's players to dwell on that result, especially given the fact that Nice have only lost once in Ligue 1 since the turn of the year.

Montpellier and Nice only locked horns once last season, and it was Zakarian's men who took all three points as they scraped a 2-1 victory this time last year.

Montpellier HSC Ligue 1 form: L

Nice Ligue 1 form: WW

Team News

Mollet will miss out for Montpellier owing to the red card he received against Rennes, but striker Andy Delort could play a part after recovering from coronavirus.

Centre-backs Hilton and Nicolas Cozza have also resumed training and may be involved here, while Stephy Mavididi is expected to be fit enough to make the bench.

As for Nice, Youcef Atal and Khephren Thuram are back on the training pitch and have every chance of making the team for the trip to Montpellier.

Brazilian defender Robson Bambu did not feature against Strasbourg after being forced off in the win over Lens, and the 22-year-old is facing a race to be fit for Saturday.

Rony Lopes will also be holding out for a recall to the right-hand side of attack, but midfielder Wylan Cyprien has not featured this season amid speculation linking him with a move elsewhere.

Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Omlin; Souquet, Congre, Mendes, Hilton, Oyongo; Chotard, Ferri, Vargas, Savanier; Laborde

Nice possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Atal, Dante, Pelmard, Kamara; Schneiderlin, Melou, Thuram; Lopes, Dolberg, Gouiri

We say: Montpellier HSC 1-2 Nice

Nice have enjoyed a strong start to the new campaign and will be motivated to get as many points on the board as possible before they have to juggle domestic and Europa League commitments. Montpellier are capable of making it a testing afternoon for Vieira's men, but we expect the visitors to carry on in the same vein and record their third victory on the bounce this weekend.