A thunderous final! Everything you need to know before the match between OGC Nice and Brest

The Allianz Riviera will roar this Saturday evening. Whether joyful or frustrated, the outcome remains uncertain, but the merit of Franck Haise and his team is already in the background for this final meeting of the season. Twelfth in Ligue 1 after 4 matches, eliminated from the Europa League without having won a single match and ejected from the Coupe de France by amateurs, the Aiglons will take the people of Nice this Saturday evening into the dream of the Champions League. The most beautiful of competitions is at stake for a final against a Nice player, Eric Roy, who still has a small hope of Europe to play with Brest ( ^8th ) in the event of a financial fiasco for OL and exclusion by UEFA ( ^7th ).

The final match is a smashing success, so the 30,000-supporter mark will be reached. "It feels good. It's a strength," said Haise. "Let's play the best possible match! There will always be plenty of mistakes, plenty of flaws, because that's how it is. But the important thing is to give the best of yourself."

Stripping down is the ultimate mission given to a dressing room that has been inconsistent in its performances by a coach uncomfortable with the diligent courting of him by Rennes and his former Lens GM (Arnaud Pouille) since the end of 2024. A cascade of injuries and internal upheavals have never made the man of his word deviate from his promise: he has not signed with Nice for a year. "I had a trying season, long, but it went by really quickly," the Normandy native admitted Thursday. " I don't know why, but it went by even faster than at Lens. And then, I had moments with great emotions and others with less beautiful emotions. I continued to learn, a lot. First of all, I discovered a club, a great club, with good people and a good environment."

Haise-Maurice, contract fulfilled

With codes and a way of working that the technician and Florian Maurice, his sporting director who also arrived last summer, have not yet fully mastered. It's logical, and it's even courageous of the duo to embark on a second season despite the restrictions on resources and budget imposed by Ineos and the TV rights crisis. Many disappointed people have left the ship, and are still doing so, but this duo remains united at the helm of a vessel that could weather a financial lull thanks to the millions of euros from the Champions League.

Doing better with the means at hand, Haise and Maurice have already done it with 20 goals and 2 points more than last season (57 against 55), without Todibo and Thuram and despite the long injuries of Sanson and Moffi. Clauss was the right bet, Bombito has a future, Ndombele was a brilliant intermittent, Youssouf, Dante, Bard and Boudaoui have confirmed their status as leaders and Guessand has exploded on the radar of scouts. Champions League at the end or not, Evann is among those who are giving their final performance to the Niçois tonight. For an opportunity that cannot be bought and not missed either: to go out with a bang.

Probable teams