Nice 15th and facing tough run-in with survival far from secured | OneFootball

Always erratic, Nice are 15th in Ligue 1 and head into the run-in with a testing schedule, their safety still in doubt.

A 0-4 home defeat by PSG before the break, combined with Auxerre’s 3-0 win, left only a five-point cushion over the 16th-placed AJA. According to L'Équipe, the picture could shift within eight days, with victories against Strasbourg and Le Havre representing a major step towards safety.

The trend is stubborn, with only two wins in five months, Nantes 4-1 on 25 January and Angers 2-0 on 14 March. A Coupe de France semi-final against Strasbourg arrives on 22 April, yet their league prospects remain uncertain.

Melvin Bard noted that a win can feel like a restart before a heavy setback such as the PSG reverse. Claude Puel said many would be affected by that swing and that repeatedly going back into the fight is not easy.

Since arriving in late December, Puel says he has never sensed his group give up in training, though it has not been enough. He has also raised what he views as inconsistent refereeing, a concern echoed by vice-president Maurice Cohen. The squad is close to full strength, bar Moïse Bombito, Kojo Peprah Oppong and the suspended Youssouf Ndayishimiye, and a run of four away games in seven awaits, with Le Havre at home in eight days before Lille, Marseille, Lens and Auxerre away on matchday 33, which Auxerre hope will be decisive.

Source: L'Équipe