Nantes can put more distance between themselves and the relegation zone when they welcome Lyon to Stade de la Beaujoire on Sunday.
A 2-1 victory over Nice last weekend put la Maison Jaune up to 14th in Ligue 1, five points above Metz, who are in the final relegation spot, while Lyon are 10th following a 1-1 draw with Reims.
Match preview
© Reuters
Antoine Kombouare began his second stint as Nantes manager positively as his side ended a three-match losing run in league play last weekend in his first match in charge since the sacking of Jocelyn Gourvennec.
All of Nantes' domestic points in 2024 have come away from home, with Les Canaris scoring just two goals at home in all competitions this year.
Their current six-match losing run at Stade de la Beaujoire in Ligue 1 is their longest in club history, and another defeat on Sunday would make them one of only eight teams in this competition to lose seven successive home fixtures in the French top flight.
It has been over four months since they last earned three points in a domestic home fixture (1-0 over Nice in December 2023), while they have yet to win consecutive league contests since October.
All but one of their domestic victories in 2023-24 have come when Nantes have drawn first blood, with their only come-from-behind triumph occurring in September at home to Lorient (5-3).
La Maison Jaune have won 40 Ligue 1 contests against Lyon, the second-most for them versus a single opponent in this competition, one fewer than Strasbourg.
© Reuters
Lyon earned a point the hard way last weekend, coming from a goal down to claim a positive result for the second time in their previous three league contests in which they had conceded the opening goal.
It was the first draw for Pierre Sage as the OL manager in his 15th top-flight match in charge, with only Eric Hely in 2012 going a longer time without a draw in this competition (21 games) when he became the coach of Sochaux.
OL are unbeaten in their last four matches in all competitions, advancing into the final of the Coupe de France on Tuesday with a victory over Valenciennes (3-0).
Heading into this encounter, Les Gones are on a five-match winning run away from home in all competitions, losing only once as the visitors this year (3-1 defeat versus Le Havre in January).
Since Sage took charge, Lyon have made up a lot of ground in the table and could contend for a spot in Europe if they can continue their winning ways, currently eight points back of a Europa League place, while their next four top-flight fixtures after Sunday are against sides currently above them in the table (Brest, Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco and Lille).
Les Gones have earned 22 Ligue 1 victories over Nantes since the start of the new millennium, the second-most against a single opponent in the top flight this century, one fewer than Toulouse.
Team News
© Reuters
Last weekend, Nantes were without Bastien Meupiyou due to an issue with his knee, while Moses Simon will not be back this season because of a broken foot.
Douglas Augusto returned to the lineup against Nice after serving his one-match suspension versus Strasbourg (3-1 loss), playing nearly the entire game before being replaced by Nathan Zeze deep into stoppage time.
Matthis Abline scored his second of the season in their victory over Nice, while Mostafa Mohamed put home his team-leading eighth of the domestic campaign, which held up as the winner.
Adryelson missed another domestic encounter for Lyon last weekend, as the Brazilian defender is still away from the team for personal reasons.
Clinton Mata is eligible to return from his yellow card suspension, having been replaced by Ainsley Maitland-Niles in their draw versus Reims, while Alexandre Lacazette was questionable after being taken out against Toulouse but played just over an hour last week before being replaced by Malick Fofana.
Ernest Nuamah, currently on loan from Molenbeek in Belgium, scored for the second time with OL last week, enabling them to collect a single point.
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Amian, Castelletto, Comert, Cozza; Augusto, Chirivella; Mollet, Sissoko, Abline; Mohamed
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lopes; O'Brien, Tolisso, Caleta-Car; Mata, Caqueret, Matic, Henrique; Cherki; Lacazette, Balde
We say: Nantes 0-1 Lyon
One game is not enough to convince us that Nantes have fixed their defensive deficiencies, and they will be in tough against a Lyon side in fine form, who are brimming with confidence away from home.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
