Nice, beaten in all three away games, open matchday 8 at Brest with an Éric Roy tribute

Brest host Nice at the Stade Francis-Le Blé on Friday at 20:45 to open Ligue 1 matchday 8, with both captains wearing an armband bearing the image of Éric Roy, the late coach who served both clubs. One point separates the sides: Brest are 10th on 9 points, Nice 13th on 8.

A shared armband

Roy was born in Nice, came through the OGC Nice academy, began his professional career there and later held technical and executive roles at the club, Brest said in a statement on Thursday. So Foot notes that his most intense coaching spell came in Brittany. This is the first Brest-Nice since his death, and the captains will wear the same armband again in the return fixture at the Allianz Riviera on 6 or 7 February.

Nice's away problem

Nice are unbeaten at home (two wins, two draws) but have lost all three Ligue 1 away games, scoring once and conceding six. Last weekend they lost 2-1 at Lyon. Nice-Matin reports that Olivier Pantaloni's side rank third in the league for possession (55%) but 17th for expected goals (8.48), and have made 12 errors leading to an opponent's shot, the most in Ligue 1. Brest have made the fewest, four.

Goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf took much of the criticism after Lyon. Sporting director Roger Ricort opened Wednesday's press conference to defend him: "There is a bit of a witch hunt against him in the press and on social media. I would like him not to be whistled when he comes out for the warm-up." Ricort added that "of the 9 goals conceded, he could do nothing about 7." Pantaloni said there was "no reason for him to be the target of so much hatred."

Team news

Pantaloni has named a 21-man squad. Antoine Mendy, Laurent Abergel, Moïse Bombito and Ali Abdi are injured, while Aboulaye Camara and Everton Pereira were left out. Morgan Sanson, back earlier than expected, is included alongside Jonathan Clauss, Mohamed Amoura and Elye Wahi.

Brest and Ajorque

Brest come into the game after a 5-1 home win over Angers and a 1-1 draw with Lille. Kamory Doumbia is their top scorer with four league goals. Pantaloni singled out striker Ludovic Ajorque, calling him "a control tower who weighs enormously; a lot of teams break their teeth on him", and said Nice would "try to find solutions to neutralise" him. "I don't know if there will be many goals," he added.

So Foot reports that the match should go ahead unless storm Austen's winds make that impossible. Nice-Matin reports that the Nice squad were already buffeted by the first gusts of the storm when they landed in Brittany on Thursday.