Every match brings with it a group of questions. A set of problems. Although the final outcome depends solely on what happens on the green rectangle, statistics nonetheless allow us to bring several useful answers ahead of kick-off. And they offer, in summary, some conclusions for us to better get to grips with the match that awaits.

Nice in Holland, Vitesse in France

→ Vitesse Arnhem will be the second Dutch opponent that Nice will face in a European competition after Ajax in the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League this summer. The Gym knocked out the Dutch side (1-1 puis 2-2).

♦Nice will be the 3rd French opponent that Vitesse have come up against in European competitions, after Bordeaux in the Round of 16 of C3 in 1998/99 and Lens in the Second Round of C3 in 1999/00. The club is now involved in its first final stage of the C3 since 2002/03, when it was knocked out by Liverpool in the Round of 16 (0-1, 0-1).

Offensively, who are the ones to watch?

→ From a Nice point of view, Mario Balotelli has scored 2 goals during his last four Europa League matches, the same number he had scored during the previous 10. His partner in attack, Alassane Plea, scored a brace in his last Europa League game, against Zulte Waregem, the same number of goals he had scored during his first 10 in the competition. The two men have been involved in 9 of the 11 goals Nice have scored in September.

 

♦ Milot Rashica got the assist for the two goals that Vitesse Arnhem scored in the Europa League this season. At the tip of the midfield, the Kosovan set-up Tim Matavz in the first game of the Europa League. The Slovenian international has already put the ball away on 6 occasions since the start of the season (5 goals in the league and 1 in Europe).

Some dynamic defence in Europe?

→ Nice have only kept a clean sheet in 2 of their last 16 outings on the European scene: on 29 August 2013 against Apollon Limassol (1-0) in the return leg of the Europa League play-offs and on 20 October 2016 against Red Bull Salzburg (1-0) in the group stages of the Europa League. 

♦ Vitesse have conceded 2 goals or more during 7 of their last 9 continental matches.

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