OGC Nice vs AS Saint-Étienne

After a lifeless 0-0 in the first leg, Nice and Saint-Étienne return to the Allianz Riviera on Friday to settle their Ligue 1 survival playoff. Nice need at least a draw to stay up; a defeat would send them to the second division for the first time this century. The hosts arrive in bleak form — winless in six and scoring just once in their last five league games, compounded by a 3-1 Coupe de France final defeat to Lens. Key absences make it harder: Hicham Boudaoui is sidelined with a concussion and Ali Abdi has been recalled by FIFA for World Cup preparations, leaving Mohamed-Ali Cho to lead the attack. Saint-Étienne's Zuriko Davitashvili — Ligue 2's top scorer with 14 goals — is struggling for form with six matches without a goal, though the visitors arrive on the back of three consecutive clean sheets. Complicating matters further, disciplinary sanctions force Nice to play behind closed doors, stripping the hosts of any home atmosphere at the most critical moment of their season. Saint-Étienne will look to sit deep and hunt extra time. Our prediction: 1-0.