- 1 Nice vs Le Mans: Ligue 1’s only silent attack meets a promoted side that keeps hanging around
- 2 Nice: solid at home, blunt up front
- 3 Le Mans: seven away games unbeaten and Mafouta leading the line
- 4 Ligue 1 Prediction Nice vs Le Mans
- 5 Before anything else, a word on our free tips
- 6 Nothing binding on us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Nice vs Le Mans: Ligue 1’s only silent attack meets a promoted side that keeps hanging around 
Nice are the only Ligue 1 side yet to score after two rounds. Le Mans have netted four in the same spell, but have picked up just one point, just like Saturday’s hosts.
Kick-off is set for Saturday, 5 September at 20:45 at the Allianz Riviera, for the third round of the season.
The table leaves Nice second from bottom, a year after they scraped survival. Another slip would mean going winless through their first three league games for the first time since 2023-2024.
The attacking numbers for Nice are ugly: the second-lowest total of big chances in Ligue 1, even though they average the third-highest possession in the division at 57.4%.
Le Mans arrive with the opposite profile. The promoted side have scored twice in each of their first two games, including a comeback from 0-2 to 2-2 in Rennes before folding in stoppage time.
History still leans the home way: the two clubs had not met in the top flight on the Riviera since 2009, and Nice had taken at least a point in their last five home league games against the Sarthois.
Both teams sit in the bottom two of the early standings with one point apiece. For a third league match, that gives this one a bit more bite than anyone would like.
The match may come down to one simple question: can Nice finally turn their possession into goals, or will Le Mans keep their recent away run alive? They have not lost on the road in seven games, Ligue 2 included.
Nice: solid at home, blunt up front 
Olivier Pantaloni’s start to the season has been defined by two results: a 0-0 draw with Lorient, then a 3-0 drubbing at Paris FC.
This attacking drought is nothing new. Across Nice’s final 11 Ligue 1 games of the 2025-2026 campaign, the Aiglons never got beyond one goal.
The lack of invention is obvious in the data. Nice sit second for the fewest big chances created in the division, despite spending more time on the ball than most.
At the back, though, things look far healthier. Nice have not conceded in their last two home league matches at the Allianz Riviera.
That solidity comes at the right time against a team that has not won away in Ligue 1 since April 2010.
The injury list makes life harder for the staff: Laurent Abergel is recovering from an ACL rupture, Morgan Sanson and Ali Abdi are injured, and Moise Bombito remains doubtful after shin pain.
Hicham Boudaoui and Salis Abdul Samed, both carrying knocks, are not certain to make the squad. Ndayishimiye and Mandza should anchor the defence with Diouf in goal.
The summer has shaken up the Nice dressing room. Dante has retired, while Bard, Cho, Vanhoutte, Bah and Dupe have all moved on.
That turnover is showing in the attacking patterns. It helps explain the gap between the amount of play Nice produce and the shortage of clear chances they actually create.
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Le Mans: seven away games unbeaten and Mafouta leading the line 
The Sarthois newcomers opened with a 2-2 draw against Brest, leading before being hauled back in the second half.
Week two was even harsher. Le Mans were 2-0 down in Rennes, clawed their way back level, then conceded the winner deep into stoppage time to lose 3-2.
Those two displays point to a clear attacking identity. Including the closing stretch of last season in Ligue 2, Patrick Videira’s side are unbeaten in seven away matches in league action.
A win on Saturday would still be historic. The club have not won in the top flight for more than 16 years, and their last away victory came in a 1-0 success at Valenciennes in April 2010.
The flow of the game will depend heavily on who strikes first. In 2026, Le Mans have lost only one league match after scoring first, a 4-2 defeat at Montpellier in February in Ligue 2.
Louis Mafouta is carrying the Sarthois attack. His brace in Rennes took him to three goals, level at the top of the Ligue 1 scoring chart with Florian Thauvin and Esteban Lepaul.
The squad is missing several players: Djibril Sidibe is suspended, Nicolas Kocik picked up an ankle injury in round two, Samuel Yohou has a lower-leg issue, Erwan Colas is also out, and Yasser Larouci is recovering from a head knock.
Against Brest, Le Mans had led in the second half before letting the equaliser in. A week later in Brittany, the same script played out, only with a more painful ending.
The club also lost several players over the summer, with Ribelin, Cossier, Hammoudi and Guillaume all departing. Squad depth remains the promoted side’s big weakness.
Probable Nice XI: Diouf – Mendy, Ndayishimiye, Mandza – Clauss, Coulibaly, Witsel, Koutoune – Hein, Wahi, Diop.
Probable Le Mans XI: Hatfout – Eyoum, Boisse, Bamba – Lauray – Buades, Bretelle, Bourabaa, Calodat – Mafouta, Gueye.
Ligue 1 Prediction Nice vs Le Mans
Our prediction: Nice to win (odds 1.82 – -122 – 41/50)
Two straight home clean sheets in the league give OGC Nice a decent platform against a Sarthois attack that has scored, yes, but also shipped five goals in two games.
The historical trend points the other way as well: Le Mans have not won away in the top flight since 2010, and Nice have taken at least a point from their last five home league meetings with this same opponent.
Nice’s attack is still stuck in first gear, but this feels like the right kind of game for them to shake it loose against a defence that can be got at rather than a low block. Nice open their account and take the three points.
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