Ligue 1: Nice is in poor form, is Toulouse expected to score away points? Nice vs Toulouse

Ligue 1: Nice vs. Toulouse

Match time: 2025-08-17 03:05 Sunday

Team recent situation analysis:

Nice has been in poor form recently. Previously, the team lost to Benfica two consecutive games in the Champions League qualifiers and has missed the Champions League main match in the new season. Although Nice's overall strength is indeed not as strong as Benfica, the qualification for the Champions League main match has great attractiveness to any team. Nice players are still locked by Benfica twice while treating them with all their might. This itself is enough to verify that the players' competitive state is relatively limited. So a team that is in poor form and has just suffered consecutive blows can show stronger competitiveness in the first round of the new season. Obviously, there is no guarantee. In terms of the tactical board, Nice played a 343 formation and 3412 formation respectively in the previous two Champions League qualifiers, but after watching the two games, whether it was the 343 formation that emphasized interception in the midfield or the 3412 formation that paid more attention to backcourt protection, Nice players were unable to fully demonstrate the characteristics of the two formations. Moreover, since the situation is never opened on the offensive end, the defensive pressure on the three defenders will naturally increase exponentially, and the left and right sides are also limited by the opponent. If the coach of the team fails to make timely tactical adjustments in the subsequent game, it may be difficult for Nice to achieve a good start in the new season.

Of course, there is a big gap between the French Ligue 1 and the Champions League. Nice also has some differences in hard strength with its previous rival Benfica. The elimination of the Champions League qualifiers does not mean that Nice's competitiveness in the league will change. However, the first round league opponent Toulouse is not a target that Nice can easily control. In the two encounters last season, Toulouse shook hands with Nice twice in a row. Obviously, when facing opponents like Toulouse that mainly focus on defensive counterattack tactics, it is difficult for Nice to show too strong offensive firepower in the positional combat environment. Since Nice players are in poor condition now, there may be some problems in morale and confidence, then Nice will definitely face a difficult game again in the first game of the season.

Toulouse finally completed his season journey with the league tenth place last season. Although the league ranking is not high, it is not easy for a team like Toulouse with limited lineup depth to maintain its mid-range position. Moreover, Toulouse's tactical style is quite different from that of most Ligue 1 teams. This team is one of the few teams that use the 3421 formation as the first choice tactic. It is precisely with its excellent defensive counterattack ability that the team can finally occupy the top ten positions in the league. Since Toulouse's overall performance last season is not bad, the club's senior management naturally has higher requirements for the team's record in the new season. What's more, at the beginning of the season, the players will not have any physical problems, so the shortcomings of insufficient lineup depth can be covered up. I believe that Toulouse will definitely be based on the defensive end in this game and create difficulty for Nice's points through defensive counterattack tactics.

It is worth mentioning that Toulouse performed poorly in previous warm-up matches. He only achieved two draws and four losses in six pre-season warm-up matches. He suffered heavy losses in succession against Bundesliga teams Leipzig and Stuttgart. Obviously, the players' competitive state is relatively limited. Considering that Toulouse's performance in the first two seasons was not ideal, players often need to use more game time to regain their competitive state. Then, when the opponent's strength is better in the first round of away games in the new season, there must be many uncertainties whether Toulouse can withstand the pressure.

Event analysis:

There is still a big gap in strength between Nice and Toulouse. Although Nice failed to get any advantage from Toulouse last season, in fact, Nice was mainly due to excessive distraction from the Cup, so she failed to show her due offensive ability. At this stage, Nice has no concerns about the Cup mission. Toulouse's recent performance is relatively limited, and its defensive intensity has obviously declined. Considering that Nice must have considerable expectations for the league ranking in the new season, the first round of the league is another situation of home games. I believe that after experiencing a hard battle in this game, Nice is likely to still be able to grab a valuable three-pointer from Toulouse.