Nice vs Freiburg Prediction: Les Aiglons to get off the mark at Allianz Riviera

After three rounds of fixtures, OGC Nice are one of four teams yet to pick up a point in the league phase of the 2025/26 Uefa Europa League. On Thursday (17:45 GMT, TNT Sports 5), the Ligue 1 side hosts SC Freiburg, who are unbeaten so far, having won twice and drawn once to sit sixth ahead of their trip to France.

Below are my Nice vs Freiburg predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds, ahead of this game at Allianz Riviera.

Team News

Youssouf Ndayishimiye, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Dante (all knee) and Moise Bombito (leg) are out injured for Nice, while Mohamed-Ali Cho (knock), Terem Moffi (calf) and Sofiane Diop (unspecified) are all considered doubtful for Thursday's match.

Jonathan Clauss, who has missed his side's last two games with a knee injury, is suspended after receiving a red card in Les Aiglons' last European outing, a 2-1 defeat away to Celta Vigo on October 23.

Football Odds

As for Freiburg, Patrick Osterhage (muscle) and Eren Dincki (hip) are doubts with injuries, while Daniel-Kofi Kyereh is only just back fit after a long layoff and may not be considered for selection just yet.

Nice vs Freiburg Odds

Nice are 13/8 to get off the mark in Europe with a win on Thursday, implying a 38.1% probability of success, while Freiburg are 7/4, or a 36.4% chance, to claim their third victory of the league phase campaign, with the draw priced at 12/5.

Match Result - Nice @ 13/8

Nice may have lost all three league phase games so far, but they've been dealt a tough hand.

Italian giants AS Roma, who have made a strong start to the Serie A season, were Nice's first opponents at Allianz Riviera, where they triumphed 2-1, and that scoreline was repeated in Les Aiglons' trips to Turkey and Spain, where they lost to Fenerbahce and Celta Vigo, respectively.

That's three tough fixtures, and while Nice may have suffered defeats in all three, they're yet to be beaten by a margin greater than one. Plus, against Celta Vigo, they were drawing 1-1 when Clauss was sent off in the 38th minute, and only a Kojo Peprah own-goal in the 75th minute stopped them from picking up a point at the Estadio de Balaidos.

Today's Football Fixtures

Nice made a slow start to their Ligue 1 campaign, winning just two of their first seven games (D2, L3) before embarking on a three-game winning streak that saw them beat Lyon (3-2), Rennes (1-2) and Lille (2-0).

Their run was halted on Saturday as they lost 1-0 away to reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain, but that's certainly no disgrace, and they were only undone in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.

So, Nice should be in a confident mood heading into Thursday evening, and while just a single Freiburg defeat in 12 matches since the start of September makes for impressive reading, it should be noted that five ended in a stalemate, and the German side have only won two of their last five (D3, L1).

Freiburg have only won one of their last five away games (D2, L1), and that was a 3-1 victory at second-tier side Fortuna Dusseldorf in the DFB-Pokal. Julian Schuster's charges have failed to score in three of those matches, so I think we're getting good odds on a home win here.

Player to Receive a Card - Charles Vanhoutte (NIC) @ 3/1

Nice midfielder Charles Vanhoutte was only a late substitute in his side's last Europa League game, and in last Saturday's defeat in Paris, but he has started three of their last five matches, and has received a yellow card in all three starts to take his season tally to six (four for Nice, two for Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium).

The 27-year-old was booked nine times last season for Union SG, with three of his cautions earned in the Europa League.

Whether he starts on Thursday or comes off the bench, Vanhoutte is a great price to receive a card, particularly if he is on the pitch at the same time as Freiburg midfielder Johan Manzambi, who has been fouled eight times across three appearances in the competition.

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