Goals from Valere Germain and Hatem Ben Arfa fired Nice up to third place in the Ligue 1 table.

Germain opened the scoring against Reims at the Allianz Arena on Friday, the Marseille-born striker turning Ben Arfa's assist beyond Johann Carrasso after 11 minutes.

Provider turned goalscorer in the second half as former Newcastle and Hull forward Ben Arfa reached 16 goals for the seasons by making it 2-0 with a 55th-minute penalty.

Nice can be dislodged from their Champions League berth by Lyon, who visit relegation-threatened Toulouse on Saturday afternoon, while second-placed Monaco are a single point better off.