Lille and former France midfielder Younousse Sankharé. (Photo : Getty Images)
Perennial powerhouse squads OGC Nice (2-0-0, 6 points) and Lille OSC (1-1-0, 3 points) are set to clash at the former's Allianz Riviera on Aug. 27, Saturday for a 2016-2017 Ligue 1 Week 3 encounter.
The two teams have started the newly-opened season on different paths as Nice edged Stade Rennais FC, 1-0, in their opener while Lille was upset by newly-promoted team FC Metz, 2-3, on opening day. Both won their Week 2 games, though, as they now face off in a highly-anticipated meeting this weekend.
Nice nipped Angers SCO, 1-0, on the road at the Stade Jean-Bouin last Saturday to keep a perfect record in their first two games this term, USA Today reported.
French striker Alassane Plea scored what proved to be the winning goal of the contest right at the fourth minute for head coach Lucien Favre's boys as the team moved to a tie with league leaders Lyon in the current French top flight table.
It was a great start for Les Aiglons, who wanted to keep contending for the French first division title after finishing at fourth place last term and gaining a Europa League group stage berth this season.
Meanwhile, Lille was able to bounce back from their disastrous opening game with a 1-0 victory over another newly-promoted side Dijon FCO at their home ground of Stade Pierre-Mauroy also last Saturday, as per ESPN.
Senegalese winger Younousse Sankhare finally netted the lone goal of the match late after struggling with Dijon for the first 87 minutes.
Head coach Frédéric Antonetti, who is returning for his second season with Les Dogues, is helping his players slowly find their form this season with a much-improved performance from their previous game.
Lille finished fifth last season, just three points behind Nice, and would also like to keep their status as one of the contenders this term, especially now that the league title has become a wide open race with Laurent Blanc and Zlatan Ibrahimović no longer with the defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.
The predicted result is a tough 1-0 upset decision for Lille.
Nice starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Cardinale; Ricardo, Baysse, Sarr, Chagas; Koziello, Bodmer, Seri; Cyprien, Plea, Eysseric
Lille starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Enyeama; Corchia, Civelli, Soumaoro, Palmieri; Amalfitano, Amadou, Sankhare; Mendes, Eder, De Preville
