Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia
United Arab Emirates

Lyonvs.Monaco

sportsmole.co.uk, 26 April 2024, 17:25
Aiming to take a step closer to sealing a top-three finish in the Ligue 1 table, Monaco will travel to the Parc Olympique Lyonnais to meet Lyon on Sunday.

With four games left to play, the visitors sit second thanks to three straight wins with a six-point lead over fourth place in the race for Champions League qualification, while their hosts dropped to ninth spot following a defeat last time out.

Match preview

Lyon return to action hoping to bounce back from a heavy defeat last time out and continue a fine second half to the Ligue 1 campaign, having turned their campaign on its head since mid-December.

Les Gones endured a historically poor start to the season in France's top flight, sitting bottom of the division late in 2023 with just seven points and one win on the board from their first 14 outings, but Pierre Sage has since inspired an impressive turnaround as they now find themselves in the top half in the final run-in.

In the 16 attempts since that opening rut, they have added 34 more points to their tally courtesy of 11 victories alongside just four more defeats, eventually cracking the top eight with a particularly impressive streak in recent weeks as a draw with Reims was the only blemish on a five-match span across March and April which produced triumphs over Lorient, Toulouse, Nantes and Brest, across which Les Gones scored 12 goals.

That saw them head into their toughest test of the campaign, a trip to runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, with a degree of optimism and momentum, but they were unable to extend their hot streak into the final four games, instead succumbing to a 4-1 beating in the capital having pulled the deficit back to 3-1 in the first half through Ernest Nuamah, only for Goncalo Ramos to again stretch the hosts' lead with his second of the game before the interval.

Having dropped back to ninth spot as a result of that setback, but only trailing Marseille on goal difference and seventh-placed Rennes by a single point, Lyon will bid to again strengthen their standing in the final weeks of the term and keep any faint hopes of European qualification alive, beginning with a return to winning ways at the weekend.

They face another particularly tricky test, though, as the visitors arrive in fine form with their sights set on further cementing their position in second spot in Ligue 1 this term.

In their bid for a top-three finish in Ligue 1 and guaranteed progression to next season's Champions League, Monaco have enjoyed a hot streak at a perfect time recently, going unbeaten in their last eight top-flight outings since late February and amassing 20 points along the way.

Following triumphs over Lens and Strasbourg alongside draws with Lorient and leaders Paris Saint-Germain, Adi Hutter's side now head into the weekend on the back of four straight three-point hauls, firstly seeing off Metz and Reims before most recently meeting fellow top-four sides Brest and Lille in back-to-back six-pointers.

Les Rouge et Blanc would leapfrog Brest and move second with a 2-0 triumph on their travels, thanks to goals from Denis Zakaria and Takumi Minamino, before hosting fourth-placed Lille on Wednesday and further strengthening their Champions League bid with a 1-0 victory courtesy of Youssouf Fofana's goal on the hour mark.

Now sitting second in Ligue 1 with a five-point lead over Brest and a six-point lead over Lille with just four games left to play, Monaco will now bid to move within touching distance of a top-two finish and Champions League qualification with a fifth straight win on Sunday.

Lyon Ligue 1 form:

W

W

D

W

W

L

Lyon form (all competitions):

W

D

W

W

W

L

Monaco Ligue 1 form:

W

D

W

W

W

W

Team News

Lyon will be boosted by the return of left-back Nicolas Tagliafico on Sunday, after the key man missed their trip to Paris Saint-Germain due to a suspension, and he will likely rejoin Duje Caleta-Car, Jake O'Brien and Ainsley Maitland-Niles in a back four from the outset.

At the top end of their 4-2-3-1 shape, talismanic striker Alexandre Lacazette will continue to lead the line, having notched up 15 Ligue 1 goals so far this season after hitting 27 on his return to Les Gones last time around.

He should again have support from the trio of Said Benrahma, Rayan Cherki and Ernest Nuamah, while Corentin Tolisso will hope to earn a spot in the midfield after Nemanja Matic and Maxence Caqueret were preferred at the Parc des Princes.

Monaco head into Sunday's meeting with several enforced absentees, as Eliesse Ben Seghir and key defender Wilfried Singo will continue to serve suspensions for red cards shown in their win over Brest, while Ismail Jakobs and Aleksandr Golovin remain sidelined by injuries.

They could field an unchanged starting XI from last weekend's triumph over Lille in a 4-4-2 shape, with Thilo Kehrer and Guillermo Maripan bound to continue their partnership at the heart of a back four while Denis Zakaria and Youssouf Fofana both play important roles in the midfield.

Star forward Wissam Ben Yedder will bid to end his nine-game drought and add to his tally of 11 Ligue 1 goals for the season, while Folarin Balogun should again join him up top having scored seven of his own since arriving in the summer from Arsenal, despite competition from Breel Embolo.

Lyon possible starting lineup:

Lopes; Maitland-Niles, Caleta-Car, O'Brien, Tagliafico; Tolisso, Caqueret; Benrahma, Cherki, Nuamah; Lacazette

Monaco possible starting lineup:

Majecki; Vanderson, Maripan, Kehrer, Diatta; Akliouche, Zakaria, Fofana, Minamino; Balogun, Ben Yedder

We say: Lyon 1-1 Monaco

Lyon's form in recent months has certainly been that of a side fighting around the top of the division with Monaco, had it been maintained throughout, and we anticipate an even contest on Sunday as a result.

Previews by email
Show more

Top News

24 March 2025 talksport.com A brand new football competition begins tonight as some of the sport's legends combine with famous faces for six-a-side action. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Jadon Sancho could still end up back at Manchester United next season as the winger faces criticism over his Chelsea spell. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool attacker Federico Chiesa has been told that he is "doing great" at Anfield by his father and former footballer Enrico. 24 March 2025 talksport.com It's been a international break to forget for the USMNT. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly willing to part ways with one of their prospects to bolster their chances of signing Bournemouth attacker Antoine Semenyo. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Dominik Szoboszlai does his research before trolling. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk England will be aiming to avoid suffering an unwanted 66-year first when they square off with Latvia in Monday's World Cup 2026 qualifier at Wembley. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Lithuania vs. Finland (Monday, 5.00pm) Aiming to extend their successful start to World Cup qualifying, Finland will visit Lithuania on Monday evening, for the second game of their Group G campaign. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea will reportedly have to pay a penalty price of £5m if they renege on their obligation to sign Jadon Sancho in the summer transfer window. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly braced for competition from Tottenham Hotspur for the signature of Sunderland's Chris Rigg. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Virgil Van Dijk has reportedly decided to end his time at Liverpool, with Paris Saint-Germain touted as a likely destination. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Virgil Van Dijk has reportedly decided to end his time at Liverpool, with Paris Saint-Germain touted as a likely destination. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Chelsea must pay Manchester United £5million if they don't sign Jadon Sancho on a permanent deal this summer, talkSPORT understands. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk France dramatically completed a terrific UEFA Nations League comeback over Croatia as they reached the semi-finals with a 5-4 penalty-shootout win following a 2-0 quarter-final second-leg victory and 2-2 aggregate draw at the Stade de France. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Portugal advanced into the UEFA Nations League semi-finals after beating Denmark 5-2 in the second leg at home on Sunday night, winning 5-3 on aggregate after extra time. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Spain booked their spot in the semi-finals of the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League courtesy of a penalty-shootout success over the Netherlands on Sunday night, with the two teams finally being separated after two blockbuster contests. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Michael Owen has revealed the formation he would have gone with to unlock the best of England's Golden Generation. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Phil Parkinson says win, lose or draw, Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have his back. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Julian Nagelsmann's Germany scraped into the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League after drawing 3-3 in a dramatic quarter-final second leg against Italy at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday night. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Egypt will aim to make it back-to-back wins in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers when they welcome Sierra Leone to the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday for a matchday six encounter. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk In-form Ecuador will make the trip to Santiago to face Chile in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday knowing they are within touching distance of reaching the finals. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Everton have reportedly identified Genoa centre-back Koni De Winter as a potential replacement for Manchester United-linked Jarrad Branthwaite. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Cristiano Ronaldo was denied from the penalty spot just six minutes into Portugal's crucial Nations League clash with Denmark. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Alisson Becker, Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes and Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes will all drop out of the Brazil starting lineup for Tuesday's World Cup 2026 qualifying clash against rivals Argentina. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul is pushing to start Tuesday's World Cup 2026 qualifying clash against Brazil in Buenos Aires. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Edin Dzeko has shown off the brutal facial injury he suffered playing for Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Mohamed Salah wants to stay at Liverpool even though he hasn't yet agreed a new deal. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina will look to officially secure their place at World Cup 2026 when they face rivals Brazil in Tuesday's clash at Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Morocco will look to continue their impressive start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers when they host Tanzania at Stade Municipal on Tuesday.