Nice coach Lucien Favre will make late decision on whether Kasper Schmeichel makes his Ligue 1 Uber Eats debut on Sunday when the English Premier League-winning goalkeeper's new club faces Toulouse.
Schmeichel completed his move to Nice in the middle of this week, and with the weight of his experience, the 35-year-old is expected to replace the departed Walter Benitez as the club's number one.
However, Marcin Bulka impressed when he stood in for Benitez last season, notably in the Coupe de France, and the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain youngster could play the opening league fixture of the 2022/23 campaign.
"I can't answer that now," said Favre when asked whether Schmeichel would start the game at the Allianz Riviera. "We need to think together, with the coaching staff. He has arrived pretty late, Bulka had the full pre-season. We will see."
Schmeichel arrives in France after 20 years in England, 11 of which he spent at Leicester where he backstopped the club's incredible 2015/16 top-flight title win.
A Denmark international, he remains one of the game's top goalkeepers, and Favre knows Nice have brought in a player who can be an influence both on and off the pitch.
"I think nowadays, all goalkeepers need to be good with the ball at feet, if they aren't, you've got a problem. That's no different for Kasper," explained the Swiss tactician, who returned to the Côte d'Azur club for a second spell in charge, replacing Christophe Galtier.
"He has had a great career with Leicester, everybody knows that. To play there for so long, you have to be doing something right, so we are in a good place. You can tell, just by listening to him that he is a leader."
