Nice’s unlikely title charge in Ligue 1 has been served a blow after manager Lucien Favre revealed star striker Mario Balotelli would miss at least three matches through to injury.
Balotelli, 26, joined Nice from Liverpool on a free transfer over the summer and his arrival was considered a huge gamble on Nice’s part, but he has been in fantastic form for the surprise Ligue 1 leaders this season.
The troublesome Italy striker has missed each of Nice’s last two matches because of injury and Favre has now confirmed he will be without Balotelli for the foreseeable future, putting his participation before the winter break in doubt.
“He’ll miss the next three games that come in 10 days, that’s a certainty,” ESPN quote Favre as saying after Nice’s 2-0 defeat to Schalke in the Europa League on Thursday. “After that, we’re not sure.”
Nice have an away match against Guingamp sandwiched between two home fixtures against SC Bastia and Toulouse to contend with without their talisman, as they look to maintain their three-point advantage over Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain.
Of players to have scored at least five goals in Europe’s big five leagues this season, only six players have scored each of their goals more frequently than Balotelli (1 every 84.3 mins).
For more stats on Mario Balotelli, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
