Moldovan champions Sheriff remain in the hunt for a historic piece of European silverware this season. However, they will face a difficult challenge in the round of 16 as they come against Nice, who have been in steady recent form in Ligue 1.
Europa Conference League Preview
This showdown in the last 16 of the Europa Conference League should be a thrilling fixture. Sheriff will have home advantage for the opening leg as they continue their European action in this competition after finishing third in their Europa League group last week. It was a sensational performance by the team from Moldova, as they were able to overturn a 1-0 lead from their open fixture against Partizan.
Despite going 1-0 down in the opening 13 minutes, Sheriff battled back excellently before the break to stun their hosts. The opening goal was netted from the penalty spot by Cedric Badolo, before Mouhamed Diop put them ahead on the night just before the half time whistle. The hosts looked shell shocked early in the second half, and Sheriff scored their crucial winning goal in the 47th minute, with Diop once again proving to be the man for the big occasion.
Nice certainly presents a much sterner test for Sheriff this week in the last 16, as the Ligue 1 side didn’t need a playoff to reach this round of the competition. They finished top in their Group D campaign before Christmas, as they accumulated nine points from the six matches that they played. However, they could only finish ahead of Partizan courtesy of their superior head-to-head record.
Nice scored just eight goals in the group stage campaign, while they allowed seven. However, their recent performances have been much more reliable, as they have gone three without defeat.
Sheriff vs Nice Head to Head
This will be the first time that Sheriff and Nice have clashed in a competitive fixture. It will be a crucial first leg for both teams ahead of the return match in France next Thursday.
Sheriff vs Nice Prediction
Nice has still struggled to score goals in recent outings, but they will not have the option to be indecisive in front of goal against Sheriff this week. We could see the hosts continuing their recent hot streak in the competition on Thursday, as we could see the Moldovan side taking a 1-0 lead into the second leg.
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