Lyon will look to extend their winning Ligue 1 run to four in a row when they take on Auxerre in a gameweek nine clash at the Groupama Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts come into this match off the back of a 1-0 loss to Besiktas in the Europa League in midweek, while the visitors won their last match against Reims last weekend.
Match preview
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Lyon's loss to Besiktas on Thursday night was the first they have conceded in Europe this season following two victories, but they are still well-placed in the League Phase, currently 10th in the standings.
Les Gones now return to the domestic league competition where they are seemingly overcoming their slow start to the season, notching up three wins on the bounce ahead of this match - the longest active win streak in the French top flight.
The most recent of those wins came last weekend over Le Havre (4-0) and was the fourth match in succession the side scored two or more goals, while they have only conceded once in their last three.
At home, Pierre Sage's side have split their four games this term two wins and two losses, though notably, they are the only team in Ligue 1 to have scored and conceded 20+ goals in 2024 (20 scored; 21 conceded).
Still, the hosts are clear favourites in this one and are unbeaten in their last 20 matches (W15 D5 L0) at the Groupama Stadium against newly promoted opponents dating back to December 2015.
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Meanwhile, the last time Auxerre faced Lyon in the top flight in February 2023, they pulled off an against-the-odds 2-1 victory at home, but it was only one of eight wins they managed that term, which was not enough for them to avoid suffering the drop.
After returning to Ligue 1 at the first time of asking, Les Diplomates will want to remain here but have made a mixed start to the campaign, posting three wins and five losses in their first eight games.
However, they will still be fairly content with their return so far as the club has not won three of their first eight league games in the top flight since the 2009-10 season when they went on to finish third.
Last weekend, Christophe Pelissier's men weathered a late onslaught by Reims to earn a 2-1 victory, which was their second in succession at home following a surprise 3-0 win over Brest at the end of last month.
However, on the road, the visitors have lost all four of their league matches this season and conceded two or more goals in each - the last time they won a top-flight away game was in April 2023.
Team News
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Clinton Mata was flagged as a minor injury doubt for Lyon ahead of their Europa League match against Besiktas, but the centre-back featured for the full 90 in midweek and should be part of the starting lineup in this one.
Nemanja Matic, who did not feature since Lyon's match against Rangers last month, returned to the squad in midweek, but was an unused substitute, and should be in the selection equation this weekend.
Auxerre are likely to be without three players for this trip to Decines-Charpieu, including long-term absentees Lasso Coulibaly and Nathan Buayi-Kiala, who have not featured this season due to knee injuries.
Paul Joly is also out with a knee injury, though his is not considered to be as serious as the aforementioned, with reports suggesting he could return to action by the start of December.
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Perri; Maitland-Niles, Mata, Caleta-Car, Vinicius; Tolisso, Cherki, Caqueret; Fofana, Lacazette, Benrahma
Auxerre possible starting lineup:
Leon; Diomande, Jubal, Osho; Hoever, Owusu, Danois, Mensah; Perrin, Traore; Aye
We say: Lyon 3-1 Auxerre
After a stuttering start to the season, Lyon seem to now be in top gear in the league competition, and they will undoubtedly see this as a fixture in which they should be taking all three points.
Given Auxerre's dismal away from this season, it is difficult to make much of an argument against a win for the hosts in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
