Following a three-month hiatus, the new Ligue 1 season kicks off on Friday night with Nice hosting Lille.
Nice had a tumultuous 2022-23 season, finishing ninth following a managerial change, while Lille finished fifth, nine points ahead of the Eagles.
Nice have a new manager in Francesco Farioli, who replaced caretaker leader Didier Digard in June, with the latter taking over from Lucien Favre midway through the previous season.
Although Digard had an outstanding interim term, losing only five of his 25 matches after replacing Favre in January, the Nice leadership opted not to promote the former club captain on a permanent basis, instead appointing Farioli as his replacement.
Farioli will be anxious to establish his value in France after making a name for himself with Fatih Karagumruk and Alanyaspor in Turkey, despite the fact that the 34-year-old Italian is entirely untested at the highest level.
Under Farioli, the Eagles won just one of their five pre-season friendly, a 1-0 success over Ligue 1 rivals Montpellier, with defeats against Lausanne, Braga, and Fiorentina marring Farioli's preparations.
Only Lens and Rennes surrendered fewer home goals last season, while the Eagles lost only five of their 19 league matches at Allianz Riviera in 2022-23, picking up seven victories and seven draws along the way.
To be honest, Lille also had a disappointing 2022-23 season, finishing fifth in the final standings and earning a Europa Conference League qualifying spot as a result.
Les Dogues lost nine of their 38 league matches last season, picking up 19 victories and 10 draws in the process, but they finished the season with only two defeats in the last 14 games.
Last month, Paulo Fonseca's side won all three of their preseason friendly, defeating Dunkerque, Cercle Brugge, and Le Harve while scoring a total of 13 goals.
Lille have since lost to Empoli in Italy and drawn with Brentford in the Premier League, so Fonseca will be looking for a win.
Les Dogues had the ninth-best away record in Ligue 1 last season, with six wins, six ties, and seven losses, so they must improve on the road if they are to break back into the top three.
