Preview: Lyon vs. Laval - prediction, team news, lineups

Laval head to Lyon for Wednesday’s Coupe de France last-16 encounter, aiming to end the hosts’ two-month winning streak.

Paulo Fonseca’s troops are unblemished domestically and in Europe across the past two months, and they are favourites to keep that sequence of wins going against the Ligue 2 visitors to Groupama Stadium.

Match preview

When Lyon fell to a 1-0 Ligue 1 defeat away at Lorient in early December to end a two-match winning streak, the Kids probably never foresaw what was to come: a 10-match winning run.

Since that setback, Les Gones have shown their adeptness at winning games in multiple ways: outscoring opponents, blowing teams away or holding on to narrow advantages.

Fonseca’s team carry that form into Wednesday’s domestic cup clash with their Ligue 2 opponents, whom they have not faced in 32 years, since a third-round cup tie in February 1994.

Lyon lost on that occasion, suffering a first defeat to Laval in 12 years at the time, and the in-form hosts aim to avoid a similar outcome in midweek.

Having exited the competition in the sixth round last season, the five-time Coupe de France winners and 2024 runners-up strive for an 11th consecutive victory to reach the tournament’s last eight.

That much is expected heading into Wednesday, given the form of both teams ahead of their domestic cup fixture, as well as Lyon winning 13 of their 15 home games this season.

Laval may have navigated this season’s cup run without conceding a goal in wins over Pauloise (6-0), Guingamp (1-0) and Istres (2-0), but facing an in-form top-flight team away from home presents a different challenge entirely.

Olivier Frapolli’s team are second-bottom in Ligue 2, having last won a second-tier fixture in late November, when they kept a rare clean sheet away at cellar-dwelling Bastia in a 2-0 success.

While three cup victories have kept supporters sane, Les Tango’s failure to secure a league triumph in six attempts, losing five during that period, has left them six points from safety in the second division.

It does not help that they head to possibly the nation’s form team in midweek fresh from failing to score in their last three fixtures in Ligue 2, losing to Bastia (2-0) and Pau (1-0) either side of a goalless draw with Amiens.

Those outcomes leave the travelling supporters unsure of a possible first quarter-final appearance in the competition since 1999, but stranger things have happened in the cup, and Laval hope to leverage that possibility to stun Fonseca’s side at the Groupama.

Lyon Coupe de France form:

Lyon form (all competitions):

Laval Coupe de France form:

Laval form (all competitions):

Team News

Fonseca has a few injury problems to deal with: Corentin Tolisso, Nicolas Tagliafico, Rachid Ghezzal, Malick Fofana, Ernest Nuamah and Orel Mangala are all in the infirmary and likely to miss out.

The hosts are expected to rotate in some positions, with Rémy Descamps replacing Dominik Greif between the sticks, while Rémi Himbert, Adam Karabec, Khalis Merah and Tyler Morton could all start.

Endrick, the match-winner in the all-Ligue 1 clash with Lille in the round of 32, could get the night off, as could Pavel Sulc, who scored twice after his introduction in the round-of-64 triumph against St Cyr Collonges.

Julien Maggiotti, who has scored three times in the Coupe de France, has not played for Laval since mid-January, and the midfielder could be missing on Wednesday.

Maggiotti's possible absence leaves the visitors relying on Malik Sellouki for decisive final-third execution, as the attacking midfielder aims to add to his three cup goals.

Lyon possible starting lineup:

Descamps; Maitland-Niles, Kluivert, Niakhate, Hateboer; Morton, Tessmann, Merah; Karabec, Himbert, Moreira

Laval possible starting lineup:

Samassa; Maddy, Ouaneh, Tavares, Bianda, Samb; Mbayo, Sanna, Mandouki, Sellouki; Camara

We say: Lyon 3-1 Laval

Lyon should find little resistance from a visiting side that have forgotten how to find the back of the net in recent weeks.

Expect the hosts to dictate play from the off and secure a routine passage into the quarter-finals, thereby notching their 14th home victory from 16 at the Groupama this season.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.