Nice vs Lille: Match Preview and Prediction

October 29, 2025. 20:00. Nice. Allianz Riviera Stadium.
French Championship. 10th round.

Injured: Abdelmonem, Bombito, Ndayishimiye, Moffi, Cho (?), Dante (?) - Toure, Alexandre, Giroud (?), Mbappe (?)

On Wednesday, in the 10th round of the French Championship, Nice will host Lille at the Allianz Riviera. The home team has recently risen in the standings thanks to a series of solid results, currently occupying eighth place. The visitors have three more points to go and are in the top five.

Nice

After a strong first season under Franck Eze, when the Eagles secured a place in the Champions League qualification with a fourth-place finish, Nice found themselves in a bit of a slump at the start of the new campaign. This was largely due to the team not being ready for the challenges ahead, not least because the squad was not significantly strengthened during the summer and even lost several key players. Nice are yet to pick up a single point in European competition this season. They lost both of their Champions League qualifying matches to Benfica and were relegated to the Europa League. In the second division of European competition, Ayse's men suffered three early defeats - to Roma, Fenerbahce and Celta.

This gloomy picture was compounded by the failures in the French league, where they managed to collect only six points in the first five rounds. They beat Auxerre and Nantes, but suffered home defeats to Toulouse (0-1) and away defeats to Le Havre (1-3) and Brest (1-4), which signaled that the team was heading in the wrong direction. The list of upcoming matches looked difficult, which increased the risk of falling down the table. However, surprisingly, Ayse's men got through this period better than expected. It all started with two draws: at home to Paris and in the derby against Monaco (2-2). Diop scored all three goals in those games, but the Eagles were unable to hold a one-goal lead or even a two-goal lead. However, the next two matches brought six points: a 3-2 home win over Lyon and a 2-1 away win over Rennes.

Nice have kept just one clean sheet this season, partly due to a series of defensive injuries and the departure of last season's first-choice goalkeeper, Bulka. However, the team's goal-scoring form - at least two goals in each of their last three games - gives hope for a positive result. Coming into the match against Lille, the Eagles had won six of their last eight home league matches on the Riviera. Avoiding defeat on Wednesday would extend their unbeaten home run to five games. Last season, they had a similar run, going six games unbeaten from January to March.

Lille

Lille missed out on a Champions League spot last season, finishing fifth. The northern French team underwent significant changes in the summer, including the departure of first-choice goalkeeper Chevalier and top scorer David in recent seasons. Genesio has had to rebuild the team while simultaneously preparing for European places and competing in the Europa League. It is worth noting that the "Great Danes" are doing quite well. In Europe's second most prestigious competition, Lille is performing much better than Nice, having collected six points from three matches. Although a 3-4 defeat to PAOK spoiled what was otherwise a perfect start, Lille's league form has also been patchy, but the good outweighs the bad. Two dry defeats - at home to Lyon and away to Lens - have been offset by crushing defeats to promoted teams Lorient (7-1) and Metz (6-1). It is no surprise, then, that two of the Hounds are in the top ten scorers: Ismaily and Haraldsson with four goals each. The forwards have also contributed, with Giroud, who returned to France, scoring the winner against Monaco at the end of the season. Ethan Mbappe, Kylian's brother, scored the winner against Toulouse and also equalised against PSG at the end of the season. Late-season goals have been Lille's calling card this season. Their 22 goals are level with Marseille for the league's best, but 16 of those have come in just three matches.

Two wins in four away league games this season suggest Genesio's men can head to the Riviera with confidence. However, past experience suggests that this could be difficult. The Danes have only won once in their last 13 away trips to Nice, losing five. However, their recent 2-1 home win should provide some encouragement.

Nice v Lille: Expected Line-ups

Abdelmonem, Bombito, Moffi and Ndayishimiye are in the Nice treatment room, while Cho and Dante are questionable. Toure and Alexandre will miss the game for Lille through injuries. Mbappe and Giroud missed the last game and remain questionable.

Nice vs. Lille: Author's Prediction

Three of the last four meetings between these teams have ended in draws, and this result will not surprise anyone here. I also expect at least three goals in the game, with both teams scoring.