Squad

Amavi, Atal, Todibo, Benítez, Dolberg, Danilo: The coach’s update

In his post-match press conference following Nice’s 1-0 defeat to Clermont, Christophe Galtier gave a detailed injury update.

AMAVI SUFFERS A SPRAINED KNEE

Jordan Amavi didn’t feature in the squad for Matchday 23 of Ligue 1, as the full-back is suffering from a “pretty considerable knee sprain” according to his coach, who later explained to OGCNICE.TV that Amavi would be “out of action for a while”.

ATAL PICKS UP A SHOULDER KNOCK

Having come off in the 56th minute, following a foul from Elbasan Rashani (who picked up a booking at the time), Youcef Atal “landed awkwardly and picked up a knock on the shoulder, which had been operated on a few seasons ago, when he got injured at the Africa Cup of Nations [editor’s note: a fractured collarbone in the summer of 2019],” the manager explained. “I don’t yet know how serious the injury is, but it was a painful one, and he wasn’t able to carry on.”

TODIBO GIVEN A REST

After taking in part in all 22 league games so far, starting 21 of them, Jean-Clair Todibo didn’t come on this afternoon. “JC felt some muscle pain in midweek,” Galtier declared. “He’s played in every game, and that muscle pain made us think that there was a considerable injury risk, so I thought it better not to take any risks and to leave him on the bench.

BENITEZ, DOLBERG AND DANILO TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

Walter Benítez also missed his first league match of the season today, with the keeper testing positive for COVID-19, as is the case for Kasper Dolberg and Danilo Barbosa. Could this cast doubt over their participation in the Coupe de France quarter-final against Marseille on Wednesday evening (21:15 CET kick-off)? “We’ll see, as the protocol is totally different,” the Gym coach responded. “We’ll test them ahead of the game, and we’ll see whether they come back negative. We’ll also look at what state they’re in. They’re asymptomatic. I’ve spoken to them on the phone; they’re at home, they’re doing well, but they weren’t in any state to play in today’s game.”