Europa League: Nice v Rangers
Venue: Grand Stade de Nice, Nice Date: Thursday, 28 November Kick-off: 20:00 GMT
Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio Scotland Extra/Sounds/DAB/810MW plus live text commentary on the BBC Sport website
Nice were Rangers’ first European opponents and, curiously, their imminent Europa League meeting takes place 68 years to the day since their last.
That was one of three matches contested by the then champions of Scotland and France for a place in the quarter-final of the nascent Champions Cup.
A 2-1 first-leg victory at Ibrox was cancelled out by a defeat by the same scoreline on the Cote d’Azur and so a winner-takes-all play-off was arranged at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
Nice emerged 3-1 victors before being beaten in the next round by Real Madrid, who were on their way to a second of five consecutive triumphs in Europe’s new competition.
Those were halcyon days for Nice, who won all of their four Ligue 1 titles in the 1950s, a return to which has never seemed likely until the club’s takeover in 2019 by Ineos owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
However, despite significant investment in the first team, Nice’s fifth place last season was as high as they have been since finishing third in 2016-17 and some supporters have expressed concern that Ratcliffe’s high-profile investment in Manchester United will lead to a waning interest in the French club.
Ratcliffe’s time at Nice has been marked by a revolving door in the manager’s office that makes Rangers appear stable by comparison.
Since the sacking of Patrick Vieira in 2020, six managers – interim and permanent – have held the post, none of them for more than a season.
The latest of those hoping to end that cycle of hiring and firing is 53-year-old Franck Haise, brought in as head coach in the summer along with a new director of football, Florian Maurice.
Haise, a player of little repute, had taken Lens from Ligue 2 to Champions League qualification in his four years there and was seen as the man to replace Italian Francesco Farioli, who departed for Ajax at the end of last season.
Haise has proved a steady hand, albeit without producing spectacular results, and Nice once again find themselves challenging for European qualification without looking capable of a serious title bid.
That said, Europa League results have been disappointing, with just two points from four games, leading Haise to admit the game against Rangers is one his side has to win to have a genuine hope of progressing.
The two points Nice have managed have, unsurprisingly, come at home: a creditable 1-1 against Real Sociedad before coming from two down to earn a draw last time out against Twente.
It is unsurprising because they are unbeaten on home territory this season, holding leaders Paris St-Germain and fourth-placed Lille, beating Monaco – who are second – not to mention an 8-0 thrashing of St Etienne.
Nice did not look entirely convincing, though, in coming from behind (again) to beat Strasbourg on Sunday, having switched from Haise’s usual three at the back to a four.
That, in part, may be down to a host of unavailable players, which should aid Rangers’ cause.
Last season’s top scorer, Nigerian striker Terem Moffi, and influential midfielder Morgan Sanson are on the long-term injury list.
There are also doubts over regulars such as right-back Jonathan Clauss, Tunisia left-back Ali Abdi and defensive midfielder Youssouf Ndaysimiya, while first-picks Moise Bombito, the Canada centre-back, and midfielder Sofiane Diop are suspended.
Nice do still have some quality players available though, with former Everton youth forward Mohamed-Ali Cho catching the eye on Sunday.
However, if Rangers can reproduce their European form rather than the domestic variety, they have every right to feel they can continue their recent impressive away record in the competition and take another step towards the play-off round at least.
