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Saturday Preview: A UCL shakeup?

With OGC Nice having opened the Ligue 1 McDonald's weekend with a narrow 3-2 win over Stade Rennais to go provisionally fourth, Saturday will see two more contenders for the UEFA Champions League in action as they look to make up ground on Trophée des Champions participants AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain ahead of Olympique de Marseille's match against Le Havre on Sunday.
E. DEVIN
Published on 01/03/2025 at 20:00
2-minute read
Rayan Cherki and Lyon will hope to climb the table

Fit-again Dogues face Nantes

The day's action starts in Saint-Étienne as Les Verts host Stade de Reims. The Champagne side have been fitful this season under Luka Elsner, and there could be a chance for a home upset for the relegation-threatened hosts, but the real fireworks will come two hours later in northern France, as Bruno Génésio's LOSC Lille welcome FC Nantes.

Injuries and European fixtures have made Les Dogues' Ligue 1 campaign an inconsistent one, but with the likes of Angel Gomes, Ayyoub Bouaddi,Haakon Haraldsson and Osame Sahraoui all fit again, there's plenty of support for Jonathan David to add to his league-leading eleven goals, with a win enough to move his team level with l'OM in second place. Nabil Bentaleb and Tiago Santos remain long-term absentees but, with their returning players, the hosts should be good value to move up the table.

MIKAUTADZE to keep up his form?

In Lyon, another European contender will take on a team struggling against the drop as Les Gones welcome Montpellier HSC. Lyon will be playing their first match in nearly a dozen years without goalkeeper Anthony Lopes, who departed for Nantes at the start of the window. And while striker Gift Orban has also moved on, Pierre Sage's side has a cadre of young attackers upon which to call. 

Chief among those is Georges Mikautadze -- the summer signing endured an uneven start to the season, but has sprung to life with four in five matches. Speaking pre-match, he said, "I am trying my utmost to be decisive in every game. I was a little short of goals at the beginning of the season but goals bring more goals and things are getting better and better." With Mikautadze, Alexandre Lacazette (five goals in seven) and Rayan Cherki (four assists and two goals in his last three) all hitting form, the hosts will be dangerous indeed as they look to leapfrog Nice back into the battle for a place at Europe's top table next season. 

Read more:

>> Trophée des Champions: Where has the competition gone?

>> Trophée des Champions: Who are the double winners?

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