Early strong starters Strasbourg make the trip to the south of France to face Nice at the Allianz Riviera in Ligue 1 on Sunday evening.

Nice have made an underwhelming but unbeaten start, while Strasbourg are up in the European places at this early stage.

Match preview

The start of the Francesco Farioli reign at Nice has been uninspiring so far, as they are yet to win in their opening three games, but they are yet to taste defeat under the Italian.

Fan discontent was evident during their 0-0 stalemate with Lyon last weekend, after two opening 1-1 draws against Lille and Lorient.

It has been a relatively difficult start for Nice given the calibre of opposition they have faced, but Farioli sees his side lingering down in 13th.

The supporters will be expecting a first win here in what is set to be their kindest fixture so far on paper.

However, it will not be all plain sailing, as Nice are winless in their last five encounters against Strasbourg.

The club from Alsace have also made a strong start, taking six points from their opening three matches.

It is the first time since the turn of the millennium that Strasbourg have won two of their first three Ligue 1 matches.

The form of Jean-Ricner Bellegarde has been pivotal in their early successes, as the 25-year-old midfielder has been involved in all four goals they have scored so far.

Facing tricky opposition in the form of Lyon, and Coupe de France winners Toulouse has been no problem for Strasbourg and Bellegarde, who has scored two and assisted two already.

However, in their only away fixture this term, Patrick Vieira's side came up well short against Monaco, going down 3-0 in the principality.

It continues a difficult and prolonged period of poor form on the road for Strasbourg, as they have taken just 13 points from their last 15 Ligue 1 away matches.

Sluggish starts need to be eradicated as they have found themselves 2-0 down by half-time in their last two matches away from home.

The news that Bellegarde is on his way to join Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers is also a blow and something Vieira and Strasbourg must quickly adjust to.

The opportunity to potentially move up into the Champions League places may add some pressure too, as they are currently in a three-way tie just one point behind the top two of Monaco and Marseille.

Team News

New signing Jeremie Boga looks set to continue his period on the sidelines for Nice after picking up an injury in their league opener against Lille.

Youngster Antoine Mendy will also miss out with an injury that has kept him out of action all summer.

Alexis Claude-Maurice's early pre-season injury has also disrupted his season preparations, and the 25-year-old will join Boga and Mendy on the absentee list.

There are no new injury concerns for Vieira, but he will remain without the likes of Moise Sahi Dion and new signing Maxime Bastian.

Ukrainian full-back Eduard Sobol has not featured since a late cameo in his country's 3-3 draw with Germany back in June.

Habib Diallo's replacement Emanuel Emegha got his first goal for the club in the win over Toulouse and should partner Habib Diarra in attack once more.

Nice possible starting lineup:
Bulka; Atal, Todibo, Dante, Bard; Sanson, Ndayishimiye, Thuram; Laborde, Moffi, Diop

Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Sels; Guilbert, Perrin, Nyamsi, Sylla, Delaine; Sissoko, Doukoure, Deminguet; Diarra, Emegha

We say: Nice 2-1 Strasbourg

Nice have had some tricky fixtures to open with and have done well to remain unbeaten so far.

However, their fans will want to see three points here, and they should be able to find it, especially given Strasbourg's troubles on the road and the recent off-field news regarding Bellegarde's exit.


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