Since taking over at the end of November, Pierre Sage has managed to turn things around brilliantly for Lyon. The Gones were threatened with relegation to the second division before Christmas, but five wins in their last seven Ligue 1 matches (2 losses) have allowed them to not only leave the red zone, but also move closer to the top half of the table.
Their latest result was a 2-1 win at Montpellier, in which Lyon came back from behind to win a league game for the first time since May 2023. However, it will be difficult for Lyon to continue their momentum against a high-flying Nice team, knowing that they have only taken four points this season against top-6 teams (1 win, 1 draw, 4 losses).
If it can console Lyon fans, one of those points came in the 0-0 draw between the two teams in August. This means that Nice have only lost one of their last six clashes (3 wins, 2 draws). The Aiglons need to get back to winning ways in this match after suffering a 3-2 defeat to Monaco on Saturday. As a result, Nice are only four points ahead in the top 4.
Francesco Farioli’s team should not have too much trouble bouncing back, as they have not suffered two consecutive league defeats since April. However, the coach will certainly be concerned about a total of four defeats in eight top-flight outings since the beginning of December (3 wins, 1 draw) which threatens their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2017.
Players to Watch: Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette has scored six goals in his last four home appearances (1 win, 3 draws), scoring at least once in each game. He will be looking to outsmart Gaëtan Laborde, who has won five of the last six away games in which he has scored (1 draw).
Hot Stat: Nice have averaged 2.69 points per game in league matches where they have opened the scoring this season (11 wins, 2 draws) but they are also the only Ligue 1 team to have still not taken a single point in matches where they have been 1-0 down (4 losses).
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