Nicolas Pepe makes injury comeback but Nice eliminated from Europe | OneFootball

Nicolas Pepe made his return from injury for OGC Nice on Thursday night, but they were eliminated from the Europa Conference League at the quarter-final stage.

Arsenal loanee Nicolas Pepe has had some difficulties with injuries this season, missing two months of football between January and March with a knee issue.

Though the winger initially returned to action against FC Sheriff on March 16th, he suffered a further setback a few games later, missing a couple more matches.

As a result, Pepe could only watch on for Nice’s Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg against FC Basel, but he returned to the bench for the second leg on Thursday night.

Pepe came off the bench in the 73rd minute, but Basel ended up winning the match in extra time.

The Arsenal winger had a positive impact on an individual level, completing 15 of his 17 passes, winning four duels, and making a tackle in his limited minutes on the field. It just wasn’t enough on the night.

As a result, all of Arsenal’s loanees have now been eliminated from Europe.

The likes of Nuno Tavares and Marseille already went out earlier in the season, so there will be no repeat of Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ Europa Conference League success with loan club AS Roma this year.

As for Pepe, the injuries and Nice’s elimination have certainly curtailed the number of appearances he’ll be able to make this season.

Nice still have seven Ligue 1 matches left to play, though they don’t have a huge amount to play for. It would take a minor miracle for them to make up the 10-point gap to the European places, and they’re not at risk of relegation.

With any luck, that will take the pressure off a bit, and hopefully, Pepe can play with some freedom and express himself over the next month or so.