France - Ligue 1
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Played
February 12, 2012 4:00 PM GMT
Stade Municipal du Ray — Nice
Referee:‬ B. Varela‎
Attendance:‬ 12332‎
 

Ligue 1 Preview: Nice – Paris Saint-Germain

Carlo Ancelotti’s record remains perfect since taking over Les Parisiens and, at the Stade du Ray, he will hope that three points are again in order for the French capital side

By Robin Bairner

More On :  OGC Nice, Paris Saint-Germain, OGC Nice vs Paris Saint-Germain
Milan Bisevac (Paris)
Milan Bisevac (Paris)

PROBABLE LINE-UPS
NICE


Ospina
Clerc, Civelli, Gomis, Monzon
Sable, Abriel, Anin
Grenier, Mouloungui, Mounier

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN


Sirigu
Jallet, Lugano, Sakho, Maxwell
Sissoko, Motta, Bodmer
Nene, Menez
Gameiro

Nice are boosted by the return of Eric Mouloungui, who has spent much of the last month away on international duty, but Drissa Diakite and Kafoumba Coulibaly will miss out for that reason for one last time.

Nemanja Pejcinovic and Xavier Pentecote remain injured, while David Hellebuyck will not be risked because of knee trouble. On the other hand, Didier Digard has trained well over the last two days and could be brought in from the outset after missing several weeks.

There are no surprises expected in PSG’s starting XI, with January’s Ligue 1 Player of the Month Milan Bisevac struggling to find a spot in the team after sitting on the bench last weekend as a precautionary measure.

Javier Pastore is set to miss out once more, though, despite a bout of gastroenteritis that has cost him three kilograms of bodyweight this week, it is still anticipated that he will be fit for next weekend’s top-of-the-table clash against Montpellier.

Siaka Tiene is away on Afcon duty with Cote d’Ivoire.


 DID YOU KNOW?
  • Nice have dropped into the relegation zone after a sluggish start to 2012 continued against Ajaccio last weekend as they were lucky to snatch a 1-1 draw.
  • Defenders have contributed nine of their 22 goals this term, highlighting a reliance on set-pieces for goals.
  • Anthony Mounier, however, is their main threat at the Stade du Ray, where all of his four league goals have arrived.
  • Rene Marsiglia’s side have lost only three of their 11 home matches so far this season.
  • Paris Saint-Germain lead the standings, having claimed 49 points from 22 games to date.
  • Carlo Ancelotti’s side have scored 38 times this term, the second-best record in the league behind Montpellier.
  • No team has a better away record that Les Parisiens, who have lost only one of their 10 games on the road this season.
  • Kevin Gameiro has scored seven of his 10 league goals away from the capital.
  • In this fixture last year, PSG ran out easy 3-0 winners, but none of the scorers that day (Ludovic Giuly, who is now at Monaco, Guillaume Hoarau and Sylvain Armand) are liable to start on Sunday.
  • Prior to that win, PSG had lost on their five previous visits to the Cote d’Azur outfit.

Ospina

Clerc, Civelli, Gomis, Monzon

Sable, Abriel, Anin

Grenier, Mouloungui, Mounier

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • OGC Nice 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain
    29.31 %
  • OGC Nice 0-3 Paris Saint-Germain
    17.24 %
  • OGC Nice 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain
    12.07 %
Head to Head
France - Ligue 1 ‎(FRA1)‎ Feb 12, 2012 OGC Nice 0 - Paris Saint-Germain 0
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France - Ligue 1 ‎(FRA1)‎ Sep 21, 2011 Paris Saint-Germain 2 - OGC Nice 1
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France - Ligue 1 ‎(FRA1)‎ Feb 20, 2011 OGC Nice 0 - Paris Saint-Germain 3
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France - Ligue 1 ‎(FRA1)‎ Oct 3, 2010 Paris Saint-Germain 0 - OGC Nice 0
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France - Ligue 1 ‎(FRA1)‎ Mar 20, 2010 OGC Nice 1 - Paris Saint-Germain 0
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Last Five Matches
OGC Nice
May 20, 2012Olympique Lyonnais 3 - OGC Nice 4FRA1
May 13, 2012OGC Nice 1 - Evian Thonon Gaillard 1FRA1
May 7, 2012Toulouse FC 0 - OGC Nice 0FRA1
May 2, 2012OGC Nice 0 - LOSC Lille Métropole 1FRA1
Apr 29, 2012Valenciennes FC 2 - OGC Nice 0FRA1
Paris Saint-Germain
May 20, 2012FC Lorient 1 - Paris Saint-Germain 2FRA1
May 13, 2012Paris Saint-Germain 3 - Stade Rennais FC 0FRA1
May 6, 2012Valenciennes FC 3 - Paris Saint-Germain 4FRA1
May 2, 2012Paris Saint-Germain 2 - AS Saint-Etienne 0FRA1
Apr 29, 2012LOSC Lille Métropole 2 - Paris Saint-Germain 1FRA1
Odds
Returns: OGC Nice £150.00 Sportingbet Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets!
Returns: Draw £32.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Returns: PSG £80.00 Sportingbet Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets!
Team News
Available Squads
1David OspinaGoalkeeper
2Renato CivelliDefender
5Kevin GomisDefender
18Fabián Luciano MonzónDefender
29François ClercDefender
6Didier DigardMidfielder
7Fabrice AbrielMidfielder
6Kevin AninMidfielder
11Eric MoulounguiStriker
9Franck Dja DjedjeStriker
26Anthony MounierStriker
16Raúl FernándezGoalkeeper
22Kevin MalagaDefender
10Camel MeriemMidfielder
21Palun LloydMidfielder
27Julien SabléMidfielder
-Abraham Gneki Guie GuieStriker
-Ismael GonçalvesDefender
30Salvatore SiriguGoalkeeper
3Mamadou SakhoDefender
4Milan BiševacDefender
33AlexDefender
-MaxwellDefender
7Jérémy MenezMidfielder
10NenêMidfielder
12Mathieu BodmerMidfielder
23Mohamed Lamine SissokoMidfielder
8Thiago MottaMidfielder
19Kevin GameiroStriker
1Nicolas DouchezGoalkeeper
15Diego LuganoDefender
22Sylvain ArmandDefender
26Christophe JalletDefender
14Blaise MatuidiMidfielder
20Clément Chantôme Midfielder
9Guillaume HoarauStriker
Players to Watch
Fabián Luciano Monzón
Fabián Luciano Monzón
Position: Defender
Squad Number: 18
Games Goals YC RC
33 8 9 1
Fabian Monzon was added to Nice’s squad in the summer for an undisclosed fee, but he has proven to be a shrewd acquisition for les Aiglons. The Argentina international has been steady at the back, but has shown himself to be very useful going forward, registering a tally of four league goals, which is an unsurpassed figure in his side. Look out for his free-kicks in particular.
Nenê
Nenê
Position: Midfielder
Squad Number: 10
Games Goals YC RC
35 21 5 0
PSG may have invested heavily in their squad over the course of the last eight months, yet it is one of the relatively old guard who remains their key player. Offensively, Nene remains their heartbeat, turning in another highly impressive campaign. The Brazilian is often accused of fading in the second half of the season but, if anything, he has pressed on the accelerator since Ancelotti’s arrival, and he was on target twice in last weekend’s 3-1 win over Evian.
Prediction
While Nice cannot be written off at home, PSG have to start this match as favourites. Ancelotti’s side haven’t been playing with complete freedom, though, so it must be expected that this will be another tight match, probably decided by only a goal or two. Had the hosts’ squad been a little healthier, a draw might have been favoured but, missing several important figures, even a point would be a bonus for the struggling southern side.
Editor's Prediction
OGC Nice 1
PSG 2
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Nenê Nenê
Midfielder
PSG 		21 9
Olivier Giroud Olivier Giroud
Striker
Montpellier Herault SC 		21 2
Eden Hazard Eden Hazard
Midfielder
Lille 		20 9
Licha López Licha López
Striker
Lyon 		16 4
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Striker
AS Saint-Etienne 		16 0