Preview: OGC Nice, PSG Look for Bounce-Back Wins
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Paris Saint-Germain and OGC Nice will look for a bounce-back win after losing their respective European matches this week. Nice will welcome the reigning Ligue 1 champions for a clash on Sunday night at Allianz Riviera ahead of the FIFA international break.
The Parisians lost 2-0 to Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League while Nice lost 4-1 to Lazio in the UEFA Europa League. PSG also had their seven-match unbeaten streak snapped with their loss to the Gunners.
Heading into this away match, PSG manager Luis Enrique said at his press conference that the squad needs to be aware of a motivated Nice after losing in Rome.
“Nice changed coaches this summer. Franck Haise is a well-respected coach, with a very clear style of play. After their defeat in Rome, I think they will be eager to bounce back tomorrow against us. They are a top side with excellent pressing and strengths both in attack and defence. It will be a tough match for us as well as for them, and we’ll see how we manage it."
On the other side, Haise spoke with the media and noted that his side will need to adapt and learn to pay without the ball.
"Even without Mbappé, PSG still has a lot of quality. They’re a team that controls the game. Not every team is like Arsenal, capable of giving Paris that many problems. We need to stick to our game plan but also adapt to the opponent’s strengths, which are considerable. PSG typically holds around 60 percent possession, even against Arsenal.
"The only team to get a result against them in Ligue 1 was Reims, and PSG had 78 percent possession in that game. We’ll have to be ready to do a lot of running without the ball because we know they’ll dominate possession. The key question is: 'What do we do when we win it back?'"
PSG are under pressure to win this match to stay in the race with AS Monaco, who won on Saturday and now sit at the top of the table with 19 points. As for Nice, they need a win to get themselves into one of the European competition spots for next season.
This match has a lot at stake, so it’s sure to be an exciting one.
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