Bordeaux vs Nice - Bordeaux defender Milan Gajic aiming to nullify Nice once more

Posted Wednesday, December 21, 2016 by PA

Bordeaux defender Milan Gajic accepts it will be difficult to beat Ligue 1 leaders Nice for the second time in a week.

Nice will definitely head into the new year break clear of the pack, irrespective of what happens in their final league fixture of 2016 at Bordeaux on Wednesday night.

Lucien Favre's side are four points clear of second-placed Monaco, but it was only last Wednesday they were beaten 3-2 at Bordeaux in the last 16 of the Coupe de la Ligue.

"It's hard to win twice against the same team in a week, but we're going to have to do it," Serbian full-back Gajic told the official Bordeaux website.

"Nice is a great team, they are currently first in our championship so it will not be easy.

"They very often have ball possession during their matches and we will have to take our opportunities.

"Against Montpellier, we missed the few opportunities we had at the start of the game, but we have to turn the page and forget what happened.

"We do a good game, then the next one is worse.

"So there must be consistency and some form of regularity, but we have shown that we are able to beat Nice."

Bordeaux's cup victory over Nice is their only win in the last five games and Jocelyn Gourvennec's side were beaten 4-0 at Montpellier on Saturday.

Nice bounced back from their Bordeaux cup upset by beating Dijon 2-1 last weekend, with Mario Balotelli scoring twice to reach double figures for the season.

"He (Balotelli) played at centre-forward which needs movement so that the team-mates know where to position themselves," coach Favre told ogcnice.com.

"The second came from some great work out wide from (Arnaud) Souquet who delivered a quality cross and Mario moved well to the near post.

"That got the team back into the saddle, because it was tough.

"Being autumn champions, that's fine - it is reward for the players, the coach, the staff and the whole club.

"But there would be nothing worse than thinking that we've already achieved something and that we no longer have work to do."

Bordeaux are still without suspended midfielder Adam Ounas and on-loan defender Youssouf Sabaly (hamstring), while the veteran Jeremy Toulalan is doubtful.

Nice's first-choice full-backs Ricardo (hamstring) and Dalbert (shoulder) are both missing, but Olivier Boscagli is in contention for his first league start of the season.