Lens are currently occupying second spot in the Ligue 1 standings, having collected 36 points from 15 games, just five adrift of leaders Paris Saint-Germain, while Nice are sitting at the 9th position, with 20 points to their name.
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Nice will host Lens in a Ligue 1 fixture at Allianz Riviera on Thursday night. Both sides were involved in friendlies last week, with the hosts playing out a goalless draw against Tottenham Hotspur, while Lens got the better of Reims 2-1. Prior to the World Cup break, Nice played out a 1-1 draw against Lyon in their previous league-match, while the Blood and Gold got the better of Clermont Foot 2-1. The victory helped Lens to move to 36 points from 15 games, at the second spot in the French top tier standings, five adrift of leaders Paris Saint-Germain. Nice, meanwhile, are sitting at the ninth position, with 20 points to their name.
🤝It’s all over at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
⚔️Le Gym and @SpursOfficial finish deadlocked (1-1).
Next up: the return of @Ligue1UberEats 🆚 @RCLens on 29 December (9:00pm CET). #TOTOGCN #IssaNissa pic.twitter.com/66PlB2v5YK
— OGC Nice 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@ogcnice_eng) December 21, 2022
Nice were involved in three friendlies this month, registering one win, a loss and a defeat. Their latest outing against Spurs ended in a draw, courtesy of Antoine Mendy’s 47th-minute strike to cancel out Matt Doherty’s opener. Meanwhile Lucien Favre’s expensively assembled side have failed to live up to the expectations thus far, having won just five league-games. Lens, on the other hand, are proving to be the dark horse this campaign, as Franck Haise’s side have won 11 of their 15 Ligue 1 games, while losing only once. Only PSG have conceded fewer goals than Lens, who had posted five consecutive wins, before the World Cup break. Les Sang et Or’s last competitive game ended in a victory courtesy of second-half strikes from Wesley Said and Seko Fofana.
Nice striker Andy Delort is sidelined with illness, while Mario Lemina and Youcef Atal are nursing ankle injuries. Midfielder Aaron Ramsey is yet to join the squad after the World Cup holiday. Therefore Pablo Rosari is likely to partner Khephren Thuram in the engine room, with Bilal Brahimi and Nicolas Pep supporting Gaetan Laborde up front. As for Lens, goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez is out with a knee injury, therefore Brice Samba will continue in goal, with Gradit, Danso and Medina forming the three-man defence in front of him. Meanwhile, wing-back Jimmy Cabot and Adam Buksa are also occupying the treatment room.
Nice probable starting lineup: Schmeichel, Lotomba, Todibo, Dante, Bard, Boudaoui, Rosario, Thuram, Pepe, Laborde, Brahimi
Lens probable starting lineup: Samba, Gradit, Danso, Medina, Frankowski, Fofana, Abdul, Samed, Machado, Sotoca, Said, Costa
Nice
| Opponents | Score |
| Tottenham | 1-1 (D) |
| Atalanta | 0-3 (L) |
| Girona | 1-2 (L) |
| St. Liege | 4-1 (W) |
| Lyon | 1-1 (D) |
Lens
| Opponents | Score |
| Reims | 1-2 (W) |
| Le Havre | 3-0 (W) |
| Montpellier | 1-2 (W) |
| Clermont | 2-1 (W) |
| Angers | 1-2 (W) |
| Last 5 match results | Score |
| Lens beat Nice | 3-0 |
| Nice beat Lens | 2-1 |
| Nice beat Lens | 0-1 |
| Nice beat Lens | 2-1 |
| Nice beat Lens | 2-1 |
The Ligue 1 match between Nice and Lens will take place at Allianz Riviera on Friday at 1:30 am IST.
| Nice vs Lens | Key Details |
| Date | December 29 |
| venue | Allianz Riviera |
| kickoff time in France | 9:00 pm (Thursday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 1:30 am (Friday) |
Football fans in India can catch the live action via Voot Select. Meanwhile, for those in France, live telecast of the match will be available on Amazon Prime Video.
