‘For Lens, it would be a mistake to not win’ – OGC Nice manager applies pressure ahead of Coupe de France final | OneFootball

The pressure is all on RC Lens, says Claude Puel, ahead of Friday night’s Coupe de France final in Paris.

OGC Nice go into the final with their heads elsewhere. Whilst club captain Dante says that he and his teammates will “give it everything” when they come up against Lens at the Stade de France, co-president Jean-Pierre Rivere has said that the game is “not a priority at all”. That is because the club’s focus is now on securing their top-flight status for next season.

Rivere’s comments came on Sunday night after a goalless draw against FC Metz ensured that they must partake in the dreaded relegation play-off. Nice will face AS Saint-Étienne in the first leg of that play-off on Tuesday, before hosting Les Verts at the Allianz Riviera on Friday.

Given that Nice finished third from bottom in Ligue 1 and Lens finished second, there is a clear favourite. And Puel has now put all of the pressure on Les Sang et Or to win. “They will be practically playing at home […] everything is in their favour, so they are the immense favourites,” began Puel in Thursday’s pre-match press conference.

He added, “They are obliged to win. It must be difficult for them to prepare this match. We are calm in our preparation for it. For them, it would be a mistake not to win against us.”

GFFN | Luke Entwistle