Preview: Lyon vs. Toulouse - prediction, team news, lineups

Les Gones lost 1-0 to Lens in their most recent encounter, while the visitors came out on the correct end of a 4-2 scoreline in the Occitanie derby with Montpellier HSC.

Match preview

"No". A short, sharp response given by Lyon head coach Peter Bosz when asked if he was fearing for his job in the hotseat after last weekend's 1-0 loss to Lens, which stretched Les Gones' miserable run of defeats in the top flight to four matches.

Thiago Mendes's handball allowed Florian Sotoca the chance to smash home the game-winning penalty past Anthony Lopes in the 82nd minute, adding another blot on Bosz's notebook following previous losses to Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and Lorient.

Bosz has faced uncertainty over his job at Lyon ever since he took control of the reins last year, and while such talk quietened with Les Gones' stellar start to the new campaign, the Dutchman's men have now slipped to seventh in the table amid their poor run.

From taking 13 of their first 15 points on offer to suffering four consecutive defeats, Lyon have not been helped by injuries in the past few weeks, but they remain just four points adrift of a potential European berth thanks to their strong opening results.

A return to home comforts should also be beneficial to Lyon, who had won seven Ligue 1 games in a row at the Groupama Stadium before going down 1-0 to champions PSG, and their tally of 13 home goals is the highest in the division.

As has been the case with a plethora of Ligue 1 matches in recent memory, Toulouse and Montpellier's derby was overshadowed by incidences of crowd disruption, with no fewer than 15 Paillade fans reportedly arrested by the authorities after a 15-minute in-game delay.

Once police had quelled the situation in the away end, Toulouse focused on their on-field exploits to run out 4-2 winners over their Occitanie rivals, as Stijn Spierings, Brecht Dejaegere, Fares Chaibi and Zakaria Aboukhlal all made the net ripple for Philippe Montanier's men.

Toulouse were forced to see out the final half hour with 10 men after Mikkel Desler saw red for two bookable offences, but a ruthless streak in the final third propelled the newly-promoted side to their second win in three top-flight matches.

Life back in Ligue 1 has hardly been a cakewalk for Montanier's side, but a tally of 11 points from their opening nine games is currently good enough for 12th position in the table - four points clear of the relegation zone as they seek to avoid an immediate demotion back down to Ligue 2.

On the flip side, Toulouse travel to Lyon having suffered five defeats from six league games away from home since May - including each of their last three in Ligue 1 - and the visitors have also lost 11 of their last 12 meetings with Lyon in all tournaments since a 2-1 win in August 2014.

Lyon Ligue 1 form:

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L

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L

Toulouse Ligue 1 form:

L

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W

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Team News

Lyon boss Bosz was grateful to see no more players pick up fresh injury concerns in the loss to Lens, where Castello Lukeba, Romain Faivre, Moussa Dembele, Malo Gusto, Corentin Tolisso and Julian Pollersbeck were all absent.

Dembele and Tolisso had trained individually before the defeat to Franck Haise's side and could therefore push for inclusion on Friday, while Jerome Boateng was fit enough for a place on the bench and may now be considered for a start over Mendes.

Rayan Cherki struggled to make an impact in the final third last time out and could now cede his spot to the returning Houssem Aouar, while Tete, Alexandre Lacazette and Karl Toko Ekambi should form an unchanged front three.

Meanwhile, Toulouse right-back Desler will serve his suspension on Friday after seeing red against Montpellier, so either Moussa Diarra or 18-year-old Kevin Keben could deputise at the back this week.

Montanier's side otherwise came through the Occitanie derby unscathed and should only be without Rafael Ratao and Rhys Healey through injury, with the latter out for several months with an ACL issue.

Ratao is expected to return from his thigh problem imminently and could even force his way into contention this weekend, but Montanier should stick with Aboukhlal and Chaibi to provide the wide threat for now.

Lyon possible starting lineup:

Lopes; Henrique, Boateng, Diomande, Tagliafico; Caqueret, Lepenant, Aouar; Tete, Lacazette, Toko Ekambi

Toulouse possible starting lineup:

Dupe; Diarra, Rouault, Nicolaisen, Sylla; Dejaegere, Spierings, Van den Boomen; Chaibi, Dallinga, Aboukhlal

We say: Lyon 2-1 Toulouse

Even with the Groupama faithful behind them, backing a depleted Lyon side to get the job done with any real confidence is a difficult ask, although it is important to note that all four of their recent losses have come against teams higher than them in the table.

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