OGC Nice
- OGC Nice are 36th in the UEFA Europa League 2025/2026 group stage with zero points after 6 games, while Go Ahead Eagles are 28th with 6 points after the same number of games played.
- Nice have lost all 3 of their games at home and Go Ahead Eagles have won 1 of their 3 away, scoring 3 goals.
- Claude Puel is slowly implementing his style of play at Nice, having taken over in late December 2025.
- He is a firm believer in structured, patient build-up play, but with Nice playing at home, we expect him to set his team up in a compact shape and try to control the pace of the game, hitting their opponents on the break or from set pieces.
Go Ahead Eagles
- Go Ahead Eagles have avoided defeat in their last 5 games in all competitions (Won 2, drawn 3) and are undefeated in their last 2 away (Won 1, drawn 1).
- Go Ahead Eagles have been a well-structured side under Melvin Boel since he took over in July 2025, and his side have been strong at transitioning the ball quickly and playing a pragmatic, vertical style of soccer.
- The Eagles have not been great in possession, but they are compact, strong on the counter, and can score goals.
- In Go Ahead Eagles’ last 2 games, they drew 2-2 with Heracles Almelo before advancing on penalties in the KNVB Cup, and then drew 2-2 away to Ajax in the Eredivisie.
Meeting history
This is the first ever competitive matchup between the two clubs.
Key Players
- Milan Smit (3 goals in 6 Europa League games) is the Eagles’ leading scorer in this competition and they’ll hope he continues to deliver in the big games.
- Mathis Suray has been in red-hot form for the Eagles recently, scoring 4 of their last 8 goals in 5 games.
- Kevin Carlos leads Nice with 2 goals in 6 Europa League appearances, making him the most likely player to cause the Eagles problems on Thursday.
- Dean James orchestrates things for the Eagles, he can be the difference in this contest, providing 2 Europa League assists this season.
Betting Insights
Go Ahead Eagles to avoid defeat in this game at 3.8 is a big price considering Nice are 1.83 and the draw is 4.0 , but we think the game might be closer than the odds suggest.
Prediction
We’re going for a 2-1 win for Nice here, but Over 2.5 goals is a safe bet at 1.62 in this late group-stage matchup.
