Stade Rennais are set to face OGC Nice on Friday night in a Ligue 1 encounter that has been brought forward from its original schedule. Both clubs have confirmed significant absentees ahead of the match, with key players sidelined for various reasons.
Fixture Rescheduled Amidst Protests
The match, originally slated for a later date, has been moved to Friday following a directive from the police prefecture. This change is a direct consequence of ongoing protests across France, with another demonstration planned in Nice on Saturday, necessitating the earlier kick-off.
Adding to the unique circumstances of the fixture, OGC Nice will be without defender Alidu Seidu. The Ghanaian joined Nice from Stade Rennais earlier in the autumn, and a club agreement stipulated that he cannot play against his former team.
Stade Rennais Team News
Stade Rennais will travel to the Allianz Riviera without their first-choice goalkeeper, Brice Samba. In his absence, Nicolas Lemaitre is expected to start between the posts for the Breton club.
Forward Esteban Lepaul is also unavailable as he continues to recover from an ankle injury sustained against Paris FC earlier this month. While he is nearing a return, this fixture comes too soon for him, having already missed the draw against Juventus and the victory over RC Strasbourg Alsace.
Following an upturn in recent performances, manager Franck Haise is anticipated to maintain a back three formation for the clash. A predicted starting XI for Stade Rennais is:
- Goalkeeper: Nicolas Lemaitre
- Defenders: Mahamadou Nagida, Anthony Rouault, Charlie Cresswell, Abdelhamid Ait-Boudlal, Bryan Reynolds
- Midfielders: Adrien Thomasson, Valentin Rongier, Sébastien Szymanski
- Forwards: Moussa Al-Taamari, Boulaye Dia
OGC Nice Team News
In addition to Alidu Seidu’s unavailability due to the club agreement, OGC Nice will also be without Moise Bombito, Antoine Mendy, and Laurent Abergel. Manager Olivier Pantaloni has not reported any further fresh injury concerns for his squad.
A predicted starting XI for OGC Nice is:
- Goalkeeper: Yehvann Diouf
- Defenders: Xavier Mandza, Youssouf Ndayishimi, Mohamed Abdelmonem
- Midfielders: Niels Nkounkou, Hicham Boudaoui, Axel Witsel, Jonathan Clauss
- Forwards: Mohamed Amoura, Elye Wahi, Sofiane Diop