Nice vs Reims

An overhauled OGC Nice team will embark on the 2021/22 season at the Allianz Riviera against one of last season’s whipping boys Reims.

An underwhelming ninth-place finish under Adrian Ursea in the 2020/21 Ligue 1 campaign prompted ‘Les Aiglons‘ to hire title-winning manager Christophe Galtier in the summer. After leading Lille to a shocking Ligue 1 triumph last term, Galtier will be aiming to help his new employers rack up three straight Ligue 1 wins, something they failed to do throughout the entire 2020/21 season. The arrivals of the highly-rated attacking talents Calvin Stengs and Justin Kluivert should help Nice improve on last season’s paltry goalscoring average of 1.32 per league match. The duo’s first stern test comes in the shape of a Reims side that managed to shut Nice out in both last season’s H2Hs. On the bright side, the hosts have suffered just two losses in their previous 20 top-flight home meetings with this opposition (W13, D5).

In the meantime, Reims fell apart following an inspiring sixth-place finish in 2019/20, avoiding the relegation play-off spot by a mere two points back last term. After netting a miserable average of 1.1 goals per Ligue 1 game in 2020/21, Reims opted to let their top-scorer Boulaye Dia (14 league goals) join Villarreal in the summer. That is likely to deepen their scoring woes that were heavily felt on the road as they drew a blank in two of their final three away Ligue 1 games last season. Seeking a clean slate after a horrendous campaign, ‘Les rouges et blancs‘ will be looking to hamper an eight-game winless league streak (D4, L4). That could be easier said than done when you consider they’ve failed to score in six of their last seven top-flight trips to Nice.