Two clubs at opposite ends of the Ligue 1 table will kick-start Matchday 22, and it’s our job to preview Friday’s clash by assessing the statistics and trends.
Relegation-threatened Lyon welcome high-flying Nice to Groupama Stadium, with 17 points separating the teams in the standings.
Lyon are among the lowest scorers in Ligue 1, while Nice boast the division’s best defensive record. What will these stats mean for Forebet’s AI predictive analytics model?
𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 sur la réception de Nice 😤🔴🔵3⃣ jours avant #OLOGCN ⏳ pic.twitter.com/1wKhZKOZvJ— Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) February 13, 2024
𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 sur la réception de Nice 😤🔴🔵3⃣ jours avant #OLOGCN ⏳ pic.twitter.com/1wKhZKOZvJ
The hosts made a woeful start to the 2023-24 campaign, failing to win any of their opening 10 league games, with Laurent Blanc leaving in September.
Fabio Grosso replaced Blanc as manager, but with a record of one win, four draws and seven losses at the end of November, Grosso was swiftly replaced by Pierre Sage.
Lyon have turned things around since then, picking up five victories in seven Ligue 1 matches, with four clean sheets coming since December.
Still, there is no hiding the fact that one of France’s biggest clubs remains just three points outside the relegation zone after 21 games, having suffered 11 defeats this season.
At the opposite end of the standings, Nice find themselves second – 11 points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain and two points inside the Champions League places.
The visitors avoided defeat in each of their opening 13 league matches, picking up eight wins and five draws along the way, but they have been inconsistent since then.
Indeed, Nice have recorded three wins, one draw and four losses in their previous eight Ligue 1 encounters, with one victory coming in their last six away outings.
Despite their recent downturn, Nice still boast the strongest defensive record in the division, having conceded a measly 14 goals in 21 matches this term.
Head-to-head: Lyon have only managed to win one of their last six Ligue 1 meetings with Nice, recording two draws and three defeats since 2021.
To make matters worse for Les Gones, they have claimed just three victories in their previous 11 league matches against Friday’s opponents.
Team news: Lyon are still without young midfielder Johann Lepenant, who has not featured in 2024 due to a knee injury.
On the flip side, Nice remain without long-term injury absentee Alexis Beka Beka and Moroccan midfielder Sofiane Diop.
There is no denying that Lyon have strengthened their survival hopes in recent times, but they will likely struggle to deal with Champions League-chasing Nice.
Forebet’s algorithm predicts that Nice will score over 1.5 goals and keep a clean sheet on their way to dispatching Lyon.