Lyon will continue their battle for a Champions League place in the Ligue 1 table as they welcome European hopefuls Lens at Parc Olympique Lyonnais on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts are fifth in the table and just a point outside the top four, while the visitors must secure maximum points for the remainder of the season to have any chance of a European finish.
Match preview
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In 2023-24, Lyon looked set for a shock relegation as they sat at the bottom of the table on matchday 15, but Pierre Sage, appointed midway through the season, miraculously lifted them to a sixth-placed finish as his side won 15 of their final 20 games, meaning hopes were high heading into this campaign.
However, Sage guided Lyon to just one win from the first five Ligue 1 games, and while they briefly improved as they climbed to sixth, a run of five matches without a win throughout January saw the manager dismissed from his role.
Paulo Fonseca was swiftly hired as Sage’s successor, but just two months into his tenure, the Portuguese manager was handed a nine-month ban from domestic competitions after a violent confrontation with a referee, leaving Jorge Maciel on the touchline for domestic fixtures.
Regardless of the off-pitch drama, Lyon have been able to climb into fifth in the Ligue 1 standings, trailing fourth-placed Monaco by just one point and second-placed Marseille by only four points, though they are only above sixth-placed Nice and seventh-placed Strasbourg on goal difference.
Lyon will be aiming to secure a top four finish and secure their return to the Champions League for the first time since 2019-20, meaning they will be eager to end the season with three positive resuts.
A difficult matchup against Lens will be followed by a crucial matchup with current fourth-placed Monaco, before Lyon end the season against relegation-battling Angers.
Looking to start their run-in on a high note, Lyon will have to defeat Lens for the first time since February 2023, having lost two and drawn one of the last three meetings.
Lens will be desperate for all three points on Sunday, as the Blood and Gold trail the European places by nine points with three games remaining, requiring maximum points and an unlikely scenario in which Strasbourg, Nice, and Lyon all fail to secure a single point to reach the top six.
Will Still will be disappointed with that scenario, as his side were in a strong position for a European place heading toward the closing stages of the season, but seven defeats and only four wins in their last 11 league games have hampered their chances.
While their chances of making the top six are very slim, Lens are still aiming for a strong finish to the season, looking to build a strong foundation to build upon next term.
Team News
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Ernest Nuamah is ruled out for the remainder of the season due to a cruciate ligament injury that he sustained at the beginning of April, while Alexandre Lacazette is also out of Sunday’s clash due to suspension.
Following a 4-1 victory against Rennes last time out, Lyon are likely to field a similar team on Sunday, with Malick Fofana, Thiago Almada, Rayan Cherki and Georges Mikautadze in attack.
As for Lens, Denis Petric, Jhoanner Chavez, Remy Lascary, Martin Satriano and Ruben Aguilar are all out through injury, while Florian Sotoca is suspended due to a red card in their last outing.
After a humiliating 4-0 loss to Auxerre in their last match, Lens could make several changes to their starting 11 on Sunday, including Facundo Medina‘s return after the defender served his suspension.
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Perri; Maitland-Niles, Mata, Niakhate, Tagliafico; Matic, Tolisso; Cherki, Almada, Fofana; Mikautadze
Lens possible starting lineup:
Ryan; Gradit, Medina, Sarr; Antonio, Aynaoui, Diouf, Machado; Agbonifo, Zaroury; Koyalipou
We say: Lyon 2-1 Lens
Lens may have had the upper hand in this fixture in recent meetings, but Lyon are in significantly greater form and will be desperate for the points to secure a top-four finish, leading us to expect a home win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
