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Ligue 1: Lyon vs. Nice: Nice visits the Groupama Stadium on Friday for a Ligue 1 matchup as Lyon, still riding high under Pierre Sage, looks to win four straight games overall.
In their most recent match, Les Gones overcame a 2-1 deficit to defeat Montpellier HSC, while Les Aiglons lost the Derby de la Cote d’Azur to Monaco 3-2.
Unimaginable relegation to the French second division is still very much a possibility for Lyon, but with Sage in charge, the seven-time French champions are gradually but surely surpassing an increasing number of their relegation rivals, most notably Montpellier in the standings.
La Paillade took the lead at their Stade de la Mosson fortress last weekend thanks to a header from Arnaud Nordin in the 23rd minute. However, the men in white rallied in the second half, with Alexandre Lacazette finding a gap from a very close angle and Maxence Caqueret hitting a long-range stunner that hit the underside of the bar and bounced over the line.
Lyon has surged into a healthier 13th place in the Ligue 1 table, with an insurmountable five-point lead over Metz in the automatic drop zone, thanks to just their sixth top-flight victory of the season, five of which have come since the beginning of December.
The relegation playoff-place occupants Lorient this weekend could still unseat Sage’s team, who also have a Coupe de France quarterfinal matchup with Strasbourg to look forward to later this month. However, Les Gones’ terrible start to the new season is beginning to fade from memory as they only have a three-point deficit to make up to Strasbourg in 10th.
Lyon’s victory over Montpellier was also their tenth straight game with a goal. In three of their previous four home Ligue 1 games, Lyon has maintained a clean sheet; the one game they haven’t been was a 3-2 loss to Rennes.
The scorecard that was displayed in the upper left corner of the screen coincidentally changed when Nice and Monaco resumed their rivalry during their Riviera derby last weekend. The game would be remembered for the incredible long-range goal that Monaco’s midfielder Denis Zakaria scored.
After Gaetan Laborde had levelled the score for Nice with a penalty kick, the former Chelsea player scored his second goal of the afternoon. Les Aiglons’ situation was further levelled by a second goal from Evann Guessand, but Aleksandr Golovin’s close-range strike left Francesco Farioli’s team flat.
Nice’s defense has lost its unbreakable feel after a run of brilliant defensive performances in the fall, when they kept an incredible eight straight clean sheets from September to November. As a result, Paris Saint-Germain has been able to pull away at the top of the rankings.
Nice is still in second place and can still be considered the best of the rest, but they are now 11 points adrift of the current champions and might be surpassed by recent rivals Monaco and Brest. This is not an unlikely possibility considering Les Aiglons’ poor road performance in recent weeks.
In fact, Farioli’s team has only managed to score one goal in their last five top-flight away games from hostile grounds. They have also only won one of their previous four encounters with Lyon, who left the Allianz Riviera in August with a well-earned point from a goalless draw.
Lyon Ligue 1 form:
W W L L W W
Lyon form (all competitions):
L W L W W W
Nice Ligue 1 form:
L W L W D L
Nice form (all competitions):
L W W D W L
Essential Lyon center defense Jake O’Brien will miss Friday’s game due to suspension after receiving three yellow cards in the course of ten Ligue 1 games. Duje Caleta-Car will be partnered with either Clinton Mata or Adryelson while O’Brien serves his suspension.
Both Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso were unable to finish the victory over Montpellier last time out; the latter had to leave the game shortly before halftime due to a hamstring injury. Johann Lepenant’s knee injury will also keep the midfielder out for a little while longer.
Orel Mangala is ready in the wings in case Tolisso’s injury keeps him from participating, but after the game, Sage downplayed how serious his ailment was. Additionally, there’s no indication that Lacazette, who was injured in the 89th minute, won’t be able to play on Friday.
When it comes to losing defenders due to suspension, Farioli and Sage can relate because Dante, the 40-year-old captain of Nice, was given a straight red card in the team’s defeat by Monaco. This means that the seasoned Brazilian will also be sitting at least one game out.
The only injury that the visitors now have cause for concern is Sofiane Diop’s foot, although both Terem Moffi of Nigeria and Jeremie Boga of Ivory Coast are set to return following their respective Africa Cup of Nations exploits.
Guessand and Laborde won’t give up their spots lightly because of their goals from the most recent derby loss, but neither man was a key player in their countries’ run to the final and should immediately return to the mix for starts.
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Lyon possible starting lineup
Lopes; Kumbedi, Mata, Caleta-Car, Tagliafico; Caqueret, Matic, Mangala; Nuamah, Lacazette, Cherki
Nice possible starting lineup
Bulka; Lotomba, Todibo, Rosario, Bard; Thuram, Ndayishimiye, Sanson; Laborde, Guessand, Louchet
Our prediction for this match 1-1 or 0-0 draw
