Nice vs Lorient prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-03-18 14:00.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe may be busy plotting a possible purchase of Manchester United, but he must be satisfied about how his Ligue 1 club Nice are performing at present. A 3-1 UEFA Europa Conference League win (aggregate: 4-1) on Thursday over Sheriff Tiraspol confirmed their first UEFA quarter-final since 1959/60 and made it 12 games unbeaten across competitions (W8, D4), a run that has helped the Eaglets start this round just four points behind the top-five.
Their upsurge has coincided with the appointment of 36-year-old manager Didier Digard who doesn’t even hold a coaching license, meaning Nice have to pay a €25,000 fine for every Ligue 1 game he takes charge of! That’s unlikely to concern the hosts too much if they can extend a nine-game unbeaten Ligue 1 run at Allianz Riviera (W5, D4) by completing a seasonal H2H double over Lorient to remain in the European qualification mix.
History suggests they could extend that streak in this game as visitors Lorient have only won two of their 13 top-flight trips to this part of the world (W2, D2, L9), although the Brittany side are a different beast this season after their 16th place finish last campaign. Under the stewardship of rookie coach RĂ©gis Le Bris in his debut season, they head into the game level on points with their hosts and subsequently are also eyeing the European spots.
That shouldn’t mask the fact that the Merlus haven’t been able to win consecutive league matches since picking up six straight wins last October. They now have a chance to correct that after winning 2-0 against Troyes last matchday, but need to snap a four-game winless run away from home in the league (D1, L3).
Players to watch: Nicolas Pépé came on as a substitute on Thursday for his first game since mid-January. He has been Nice’s last scorer with four of his last six Ligue 1 goals. Contrastingly, Bamba Dieng has been Lorient’s first scorer with his last two league goals, both within the first ten minutes and coming in wins.
Hot stat: Lorient haven’t conceded before half-time in their last six Ligue 1 matches as well as the last four H2Hs.