Basel-Nice is a match valid for the first leg of the Conference League quarterfinals and is played Thursday at 9 p.m.: TV, lineups, predictions.
The only way for both Basel and Nice to make a return to Europe next year may be to win this cup. These are two teams, in fact, trudging through their respective leagues, and what few seasonal satisfactions have come from the Conference League itself. According to bookmakers’ odds, the Rossoneri are just behind West Ham and Fiorentina among the favorites for the final victory.
Little confidence, on the other hand, in the Swiss, whose chances of success at the moment are really negligible. Their path, after all, has not been at all exciting, and to make it to the quarters they needed a major dose of luck. In the play-off to enter the round of 16, Basel had the merit of overturning Tottenham in Switzerland after losing the first leg 1-0 but it must be said that the Turkish outfit in that match missed everything, even a penalty kick. In the round of 16, on the other hand, Heiko Vogel’s men got the better of Slovan Bratislava only on penalty kicks after drawing 2-2 in both the first leg and the return. In the league, Basel is only sixth, far behind first-place Young Boys but still in the running for a place in Europe. In the last four outings have come two heavy defeats to the yellow-and-white rivals between the domestic cup and Super League, while last Saturday Fink and co. drew 1-1 with Zurich.
Nice dreams of the semifinals
More clear-cut was the path of Nice, which in the round of 16 encountered no major pitfalls in its challenges with Sheriff Tiraspol, beaten 1-0 in the first leg and 3-1 in the return.
Calafiori
The Rossoneri’s season took a different turn only from January onward, when the club decided to relieve Lucien Favre. In place of the former Borussia Dortmund coach was appointed Didier Digard, in his first real experience. With him at the helm, the team has restarted, racking up a long series of positive results. In the last three days, however, there has been a worrying downturn: two draws with Lorient and Angers and last Saturday the predictable defeat, the first since last January, against a Psg in search of redemption. Nice is currently ninth, with seven points to make up on fifth-placed Lille.
The prediction
Nice frankly has something more than this Basel, far from the glories of yesteryear. And the path played in the cup demonstrates this to perfection. Digard’s team, which has lost only one game since Favre’s exoneration, should therefore avoid defeat in a match of at least two goals total.
The likely lineups of Basel-Nice
- BASLE (4-4-2): Hitz; Lang, Pelmard, Calafiori, López; Ndoye, Diouf, Xhaka, Amdouni; Fink, Zeqiri.
- NICE (3-4-3): Schmeichel; Ndayishimiye, Todibo, Dante; Mendy, Ramsey, Boudaoui, Bard; Pépé, Moffi, Thuram.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
