A meeting not to be missed. This Friday evening (9 p.m.), AS Monaco welcomes OGC Nice to open the 6th day of Ligue 1 for a Côte d’Azur derby which promises to be fiery. As proof, the Stade Louis-II should be “(almost) full” for the occasion, reports the official website of the Principality club. That is to say.
If this match is so anticipated, it is (largely) because it opposes two (rival) teams from the top of the table. Indeed, they both had a good or even very good start to the season. After five days, Adi Hütter’s Monegasques are the sole leaders of the championship with eleven points. They notably distinguished themselves at the beginning of September by crushing RC Lens (3-0), second during the previous year. For their part, Francesco Farioli’s Niçois occupy fourth place in the standings with only two points behind their evening opponents. Significantly, they offered themselves, last week, the scalp of Paris SG version Luis Enrique (2-3), the same one which won against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League this week (2-0).
Thus, beyond the derby, it is the first place in Ligue 1 which is at stake. And this is logically an additional source of motivation, in particular for the Gym, which would like to dislodge the ASM to taste, too, to the joys of being at the top of the championship. “Yes, but a derby is already a big match. We all know it. There is also the place for which we play. If we win the match, we can be first. We all know it, we all have it in our heads. It will be a more than important match,” explained Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka at a press conference.
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This derby promises to be as exciting because of the styles of the two rivals. In the left corner AS Monaco, a team moving forward – already fifteen goals scored – and which has an offensive armada (Wissam Ben Yedder, Aleksandr Golovin, Takumi Minanimo or the summer recruit Folarin Balogun etc.) capable of making the difference in any situation…but who remains, for the moment, feverish defensively (seven goals conceded). In the right corner, OGC Nice, a less prolific team – “only” seven goals on the clock – despite its players capable of exploiting the opposing team’s largesse in transitions (Sofiane Diop, Gaëtan Laborde and Terem Moffi etc.) …but much more solid as his four small goals conceded attest.
This opposition in style between the best attack in the championship and the best defense should make the match particularly interesting to follow on a tactical level: “We are first, they third, we score a lot of goals (15) and they concede few (4 ). So it will inevitably be a good duel on Friday at the Stade Louis-II, announced Rocher club midfielder Youssouf Fofana to journalists. They have a new coach with a new style of play. We will have to be concentrated, because they have always implemented what they wanted to do, even when playing big teams (Lille, Paris).”
Finally, this match should be a little livelier than usual because the Monegasques have a vengeful spirit. Indeed, they have not yet digested the heavy defeat inflicted by the Aiglons at the Stade Louis-II last February (0-3). That day, Terem Moffi – who they will have to watch like milk on fire given his start to the season – made the difference by scoring a double (his first two goals with the Gym jersey) and delivering a decisive pass. It is certain that Adi Hütter’s men will be keen to make up for it this Friday evening in front of their supporters, especially with first place in the standings at stake.
“Obviously last year’s match remained in the back of our minds, so there will be the desire to win. But even if we had won, it’s a new derby and we have to play it to win it, declared Youssouf Fofana. Last season, they had a lot of success playing in transition. It’s up to us to rectify the situation.” Will they succeed?
