Nice vs Koln: Preview and Prediction
The second edition of the UEFA Europa Conference League returns on Thursday night as continental football returns to the fore. Matchday 1 of the UECL will see Bundesliga club Koln travel to the Allianz Riviera to take on Nice in their first fixture in Group D.
Apart from these two sides, Partizan and Slovacko are also in the group, hence the two teams that are favourites to progress into the next round of this competition will face off on matchday 1 itself.
While Ligue 1 outfit Nice comes into this fixture on the back of a narrow 0-1 league defeat at the hands of Monaco, their German rivals enjoyed a sublime 4-2 win over Wolfsburg at the weekend.
Koln added considerable firepower to their roster in the summer window, as they acquired eight new players, namely – Luca Kilian, Sargis Adamyan, Steffen Tigges, Eric Martel, Nikola Soldo, Denis Huseinbasic, Kristian Pedersen, and Linton Maina.
Whereas Nice made some high-profile signings, such as Aaron Ramsey from Juventus, Ross Barkley from Chelsea, Sofiane Diop from Monaco, Marcin Bulka from PSG, Kasper Schmeichel from Leicester City and they also added Nicolas Pepe from Arsenal on loan.
Current Form
Lucien Favre’s Nice haven’t enjoyed a stellar start to their league campaign by any means. They currently sit in 16th place in Ligue 1 standings, having collected just five points from six league games, with just a solitary win, and two draws and they’ve also suffered three defeats so far. The Gym began their league campaign with a draw against Toulouse, and in the subsequent fixture they again played out a stalemate with Strasbourg.
After losing to Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-1 in the first leg of Europa Conference League playoffs, Favre’s side registered a 2-0 comeback win to book their berth in the group stage. After back-to-back defeats in the league to Clermont Foot and Marseille, Nice picked up their win of the campaign by beating Lille 2-1.
On the other hand, Koln has been flying high in the Bundesliga and they currently sit pretty in sixth place with an undefeated record of two wins and three draws so far. Steffen Baumgart’s side began their domestic campaign with a win over newly promoted Schalke, then they shared the spoils with RB Leipzig. Just like opponents on matchday 1,
The Billy Goats also suffered a defeat in their first leg of the UECL playoffs, but they won comfortably 3-0 in the return leg. They subsequently played a draw with Stuttgart, followed by a stunning 4-2 win over Wolfsburg most recently.
Team News
Summer signings Bech, Laborde and Bryan will all have a role to play against Koln
Talking about the Ligue 1 outfit, Favre, ever since he was with Borussia Dortmund loves to play with three central defenders and he will likely field the same playing XI which suffered a 0-1 defeat against Monaco. Schmeichel will continue in goal, behind a back three of Jean-Claire Todibo, Dante, and Mattia Viti.
Youcef Attal and Melvin Bard will be flanking a midfield duo of Aaron Ramsey and Khrphren Thuram. Nicolas Pepe and Gaetan Laborde will be tasked with providing service to Andy Delort in the forward areas.
On the other hand, Baumgart’s men will also line up in their favoured 4-2-3-1, with Marvin Schwabe between the sticks. Jonas Hector, Timo Hubers, Luca Kilian, and Kingsley Schindler will make up the back four.
Ellyes Skhiri and Dejan Ljubicic will be in the engine room, running the show, while Florian Kainz, Ondrej Duda, and Jan Thielmann will be the creative outlet and Steffen Tigges will shoulder the burden of scoring goals. There are no major absentees through injury or suspension for either side.
Head to Head Record
The upcoming match in the UEFA Europa Conference League will be the first meeting between Nice and Koln. Judging by current form, definitely, the German club has an upper hand, but despite this, Favre’s side cannot be underestimated.
Predicted Playing XIs
Nice (3-4-3): Kasper Schmeichel, Jeanclair Todibo, Dante, Mattia Viti, Youcef Atal, Aaron Ramsey, Kephren Thuram, Melvin Bard, Nicolas Pépé, Andy Delort, Gaëtan Laborde
Koln (4-2-3-1: Marvin Schwäbe, Jonas Hector, Timo Hübers, Luca Kilian,Kingsley Schindler, Ellyes Skhiri, Dejan Ljubicic, Florian Kainz, Ondrej Duda, Jan Thielmann, Steffen Tigges
Prediction
Koln is in better form and will pose a tough challenge for Nice who has been struggling in Ligue 1 so far. The German outfit would be the favored side on Thursday in the French town.
