Nice will be aiming to recover from their midweek Europa League defeat to Slavia Prague when they welcome Monaco to the Allianz Riviera on Sunday afternoon.
In contrast, the visitors have had a full week to rest and recuperate from their dominant 4-0 victory over Bordeaux on Halloween weekend.
Match preview
At this point, the less said about Nice's Europa League campaign the better. Patrick Vieira's men did manage to get a win over Hapoel Be'er Sheva, but even then they just about scraped a 1-0 victory and have now suffered defeats to Bayer Leverkusen and Slavia Prague in Group C.
Matchday three saw Les Aiglons come out on the wrong end of the scoreline in a five-goal thriller with Slavia Prague, and even though Nice's Amine Gouiri put on another strong showing in Europe, the Ligue 1 outfit fell to a 3-2 defeat on the night to leave them third in the group.
Vieira's Europa League venture is certainly not done and dusted just yet, but Nice must now navigate yet another quick turnaround in fixtures as they return to top-flight action, where they have produced a stellar set of results despite their international troubles.
As things stand, Nice occupy a spot in the top four and have emerged victorious in three of their last four league outings, including a dominant 3-0 victory over Angers in their most recent Ligue 1 fixture.
Had Nice welcomed Monaco to the Allianz Riviera a few weeks back, they may have felt confident about their chances of taking all three points during Les Monegasques's pitiful spell of form, but Vieira's men will be heading into this match with a sense of caution after Monaco put four past one of the league's best defences last week.
Monaco had the look of a side aspiring to put a stop to a worrying set of results against Bordeaux, and Niko Kovac's men did exactly that against Les Girondins, whom many teams have found impossible to break down this season.
The talented attacking contingent of Monaco had no such trouble, though, with each member of the Monegasques front three in Wissam Ben Yedder, Gelson Martins and Kevin Volland (2) getting in on the act against Bordeaux as Kovac's men eased to a 4-0 victory in gameweek nine.
Producing performances like that on a more consistent basis has to be the goal for Les Monegasques as they bid to make a return to European competition, and this weekend's visitors have a real opportunity to head into the international break with a renewed sense of optimism should they overcome a fatigued Nice side this weekend.
That being said, Monaco have prevailed just once in their last five showdowns with Nice, with the solitary meeting last season ending in a 2-1 win for Les Aiglons on home turf.
Nice Ligue 1 form: LDWWDW
Nice form (all competitions): WLDWWL
Monaco Ligue 1 form: LWLDLW
Team News
Nice captain Dante is out for the season after rupturing his ACL in the win over Angers - 19-year-old Flavius Daniliuc deputised in defence on Thursday and could be in line for a domestic start here.
Dan Ndoye came off the bench to net Nice's second in the dying embers against Slavia Prague, but the 20-year-old's goal will probably not be enough for him to force his way into Vieira's thinking for a starting role.
However, changes on both flanks could be in order with Youcef Atal and Stanley Nsoki ready to be called upon, while further alterations could see Jeff Reine-Adelaide or Hicham Boudaoui come back into the midfield.
As for the visitors, Kovac is expected to stick with the majority of the XI which dispatched Bordeaux with ease, meaning another start out wide for Volland after he finally got off the mark for Les Monegasques.
Willem Geubbels was suspended for that clash but is available here, although it is difficult to see the youngster pushing for inclusion from the first whistle.
Fode Ballo-Toure is back in training after recovering a broken toe but he remains doubtful, while Aleksandr Golovin is still in the medical room with hamstring trouble.
Nice possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Bambu, Pelmard, Daniliuc; Atal, Schneiderlin, Boudaoui, Nsoki; Lopes, Dolberg, Gouiri
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Lecomte; Aguilar, Disasi, Badiashile, Henrique; Tchouameni, Diop, Fofana; Volland, Ben Yedder, Martins
We say: Nice 1-2 Monaco
Despite suffering another defeat in the Europa League, Monaco would be making a huge mistake if they were to underestimate Nice prior to Sunday's encounter. The hosts have performed well in the league but are sure to still be feeling the effects of their journey to the Czech Republic, whereas Monaco are brimming with confidence following last week's drubbing of Bordeaux, so we think Kovac's men will just edge this one.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:databody check tags ::
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