Last Friday, Nice created a huge stir by thrashing Saint-Étienne 8:0, recording the most lopsided victory of the current season in Europe's top five leagues. Real Sociedad, in their current state, can only dream of such wins: they have managed to secure only five points in seven La Liga matches.
The demolition of Saint-Étienne was not Nice's first big win this campaign; they also triumphed over Angers (4:1). It seems that Youssoufa Mukoko has fully acclimated to Ligue 1: the German prodigy, on loan from Borussia Dortmund, registered 2+1 by half-time on Friday. Injuries to Gaëtan Laborde, Terem Moffi, and Morgan Sanson have not hindered the team, as their coach has successfully integrated new players, leading to a dangerous attacking trio of Youssoufa Mukoko, Evann Guessand, and Floyd Ayité.
In September, Real Sociedad's form completely collapsed—they failed to score a single goal over 360 minutes of La Liga play and earned only two points. Against Real Valladolid (0:0), Imanol Alguacil once again could not rely on Brais Méndez, Arsen Zakharyan, Álvaro Odriozola, and Hamari Traoré—the midfielders and fullbacks were key attacking options. The team sits just one point above the relegation zone in La Liga, and conceding seven goals in seven matches offers little hope for a successful Europa League start.
Clearly, with the status of the third-best attack in France (14 goals), Nice will make their mark in the Europa League. Crisis-hit Real Sociedad are not the most dangerous opponent for their European opener. The French club is certain to score at least one goal, making this bet highly attractive.
|
Franck Haise
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
Line-up
|
|||
|
Marcin Bulka
|
gk. | 1 | -1 |
|
Dante Bonfim
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Jonathan Clauss
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Melvin Michel Maxence Bard
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Moïse Bombito Lumpungu
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Badredine Bouanani
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Pablo Rosario
|
mf. | 1 | 1 |
|
Tom Alexis Louchet
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Youssouf Nyange Ndayishimiye
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Evann Ludovic Vidjannagni Guessand
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Youssoufa Mohamadu Moukoko
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
Maxime Dupé
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Teddy Boulhendi
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ali Abdi
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Antoine Mendy
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mohamed Abdelmonem El Sayed Mohamed Ahmed
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Sofiane Diop
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Tanguy Ndombele
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Hicham Boudaoui
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Issiaga Camara
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Victor Orakpo
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Imanol Alguacil
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
Line-up
|
|||
|
Alejandro Remiro Gargallo
|
gk. | 1 | -1 |
|
Aihen Muñoz
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Igor Zubeldia
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Jon Martín Vicente
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Jon Pacheco Dozagarat
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Álvaro Odriozola
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Brais Méndez
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Martín Zubimendi
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Pablo Marín Tejada
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Ander Barrenetxea
|
fw. | 1 | 1 |
|
Mikel Oyarzabal
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
Unai Marrero Larrañaga
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Javier López Carballo
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Jon Mikel Aramburu Mejías
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Aritz Elustondo
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Nayef Aguerd
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Sergio Gómez
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Luka Sučić
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Beñat Turrientes Imaz
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Jon Magunazelaia Argoitia
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Orri Steinn Óskarsson
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Sheraldo Becker
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Takefusa Kubo
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
Post by:
Europa League
