2016 was a prosperous year for Le Gym. Now it is time for 2017, in which the first six months will be entirely focussed on the league. With the return fixtures kicking off on Sunday when Metz come to the Allianz (kick-off 3pm), here is your guide to the second half of the season.

19 matches

Already eliminated from the various cups in which they competed this season, Lucien Favre’s squad have “19 cup finals’ ahead of them. More than half of these ‘second legs’ will take place away from home. The Aiglons will play ten games away from home and will be at the Allianz for nine games. The return fixtures will kick-off at the Allianz Riviera and will come to an end at the Parc OL….

A tough February

The first half of the season showed one clear trend: every match, no matter which opponent, was a tough battle. The defeat at Lorient (20th in Ligue One on the dawn of the return fixtures) in the Coupe de France at the start of the year has only been able to confirm this fact. However, the league will really get going again at the start of February. On the cards: 5 games in 20 days, which will remind the Aiglons of their start to this season. It will start off with an exciting and long-awaited encounter at Louis-II when Nice travel to their Monegasque neighbours (on the weekend of the 4th February) and then will be followed the visit of St-Etienne straight after (8th February).

Going out with a bang

Any prediction concerning the champions of L1 would be premature. However, a quick look at the Aiglons’ last five games of the season, allows you to see the uphill challenge that awaits the Red and Blacks. For the final games of the year, Nice will face five challenges of a mountainous nature. Trips to Toulouse, Marseille and Lyon will be broken up by visits from Paris and Angers.

Difficulties that were well managed during the first half of the season…

 

The full fixture list

 

January

20th Round
Nice – Metz (Sunday 15th)

21st Round
Bastia – Nice (Friday 20th)

22nd Round
Nice – Guingamp (Sunday 29th)
 

February

23rd Round
Monaco – Nice (the weekend of the 4th)

24th Round
Nice – St-Etienne (during the week, around the 8th)

25th Round
Rennes – Nice (the weekend of the 11th)

26th Round
Lorient – Nice (the weekend of the 18th)

27th Round
Nice – Montpellier (Friday 24th)

 

March

28th Round
Dijon – Nice (the weekend of the 4th)

29th Round
Nice – Caen (the weekend of the 11th)

30th Round
Nantes – Nice (the weekend of the 18th)

 

April

31st Round
Nice – Bordeaux (the weekend of the 2nd)

32nd Round
Lille – Nice (the weekend of the 8th)

33rd Round
Nice – Nancy (the weekend of the 15th)

34th Round
Toulouse – Nice (the weekend of the 22nd)

35th Round
Nice – Paris (the weekend of the 29th)

 

May

36th Round
Marseille – Nice (the weekend of the 6th)

37th Round
Nice - Angers ( the weekend of the 13th)

38th Round
Lyon – Nice (the weekend of the 20th)

 

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