Nice vs Schalke 04 - Schalke wary of rejuvenated Balotelli ahead of Nice clash

Schalke must be "very careful" of an in-form Mario Balotelli when they face Nice in their Europa League opener, according to his former team-mate Matija Nastasic.

Balotelli, who joined the French outfit on a free transfer last month following a dismal spell at Liverpool, scored twice on his Nice debut on Sunday to inspire them to a 3-2 win over Marseille in Ligue 1.

Nastasic and Balotelli were team-mates at Manchester City, where the Italian striker enjoyed one of the better spells in his up-and-down career, and the Serbian centre-back may well have to mark Balotelli on Thursday at Nice's Allianz Riviera home.

Nastasic told Schalke's official website: "Yes, we have played together. He is a good player and a great guy.

"True, in the past he has had problems with coaches, but when he can be fully concentrated on his football he is an excellent player.

"He has started well in Nice already, scoring twice against Marseille on his debut. We have to be very careful when it comes to him, but we have also shown that we have a lot of very good players in our squad."

Balotelli's two-goal debut was his first match for four months, having spent last season on loan at AC Milan.

Nice manager Lucien Favre hinted that Balotelli may not play the full 90 minutes against Schalke, having done so versus Marseille and scored the first two goals before Wylan Cyprien found a winner.

Favre, who took charge this summer, told his club's website: "He managed (90 minutes), as we have seen. In the second half it was difficult."

Nice's weekend win was their third from four Ligue 1 games this term, leaving them second in the table and level on points with leaders Monaco.

In contrast Schalke, managed by Markus Weinzierl, have lost their first two Bundesliga fixtures this season.