Lyon vs Nice

Groupama Stadium is the venue as Lyon and Nice go head-to-head in a handsomely-looking Ligue 1 encounter.

Lyon’s revival under new manager Pierre Sage continued last weekend as they came from behind to beat Montpellier 2-1 in their first comeback Ligue 1 triumph since May 2023. Since taking charge of ‘Les Gones’ in late November, Sage has steered the club away from the bottom three, courtesy of five wins in seven league matches (L2), and is now gunning for a top half of the table. However, his men have underperformed against top-six sides this season, managing just one win in six such contests (D1, L4), though they held Nice to a scoreless draw in the reverse fixture. That result extended their winless H2H streak in Ligue 1 to three matches (D2, L1), casting further doubt on their bid to put a fourth consecutive win on the board in all competitions.

On the other hand, Nice’s patchy Ligue 1 form has significantly diminished their hopes of dethroning PSG as they slumped to a 3-2 home loss to Monaco last weekend, their third winless league match in four (D1, L2). On a positive note, they’ve not lost back-to-back top-flight games since April 2023, though their recent away form doesn’t inspire much confidence. ‘Les Aiglons’ have gone unbeaten on their last five league travels (D2, L3), failing to get on the scoresheet on four occasions. With that in mind, facing Lyon could be a presentable opportunity for Nice to get back on track, considering they’re unbeaten in five of their last six H2Hs (W3, D2). Upholding that record is crucial if they’re to protect their chances of securing Champions League football for the first time since 2017.