Preview: Lyon vs Strasbourg - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams with eyes on the top spot in the Ligue 1 table will square off on Sunday as matchday nine concludes with Lyon hosting Strasbourg at Groupama Stadium.

Only one point currently separates these teams in the standings, with Strasbourg sitting third heading into the weekend following a 3-3 draw with Paris Saint-Germain, and OL just below them, losing 3-2 at Nice.

Match preview

After a strong start to the season, Lyon have cooled off domestically, currently on a two-match losing run in Ligue 1 and three points below the leaders Marseille heading into matchday nine.

Les Gones have conceded a combined five goals in their previous two league outings, which is two more than they gave up in their opening six games of the campaign.

Three of their five victories in the top-flight this season have occurred at Groupama Stadium, with this side collecting three clean sheets over that stretch.

This weekend, Paulo Fonseca could lose consecutive home league fixtures for the first time since taking charge, after his team dropped a 2-1 result versus Toulouse earlier this month.

Only two of their eight goals conceded in the competition this season came in the opening half, while they have allowed just two goals domestically at home.

OL have gone on to win five of their previous six home matches against Strasbourg across all competitions, scoring three second-half goals to stun them 4-3 in this exact fixture last season.

All year long, Strasbourg have shown an ability to compete with the big clubs in Ligue 1, but so far beating those teams has been another story.

The last time out, they looked to have their match with the reigning league champions in hand, up 3-1 in the second half, only to let two points slip through their grasp, putting them two points back of the league lead heading into the weekend.

Liam Rosenior has seen his side lose two of their previous three league outings when scoring first, suffering a 2-1 defeat at Marseille in late September.

Strasbourg are currently on a three-match unbeaten run away from home across all competitions, while netting multiple times in each of their competitive games this season as the visitors.

With 16 points after eight matchdays, the club from Alsace are six points ahead of where they were at this stage of the previous campaign, the first for Rosenior as manager.

A victory for them on Sunday would mark the first time they claim consecutive triumphs against Lyon in the same calendar year since 1980 (two).

Lyon Ligue 1 form:

Lyon form (all competitions):

Strasbourg Ligue 1 form:

Strasbourg form (all competitions):

Team News

Neither Orel Mangala nor Ernest Nuamah will be available for Lyon this weekend due to cruciate ligament issues, while Remy Descamps remains doubtful because of a wrist injury.

Pavel Sulc netted a brace for them against Nice, the second and third of the campaign for the Czech midfielder, surpassing Corentin Tolisso for first on the team in this competition.

We will not see Saidou Sow feature for Strasbourg on Sunday as he continues to recover from a cruciate ligament tear, Mamadou Sarr is doubtful with a leg issue, Emmanuel Emegha has a hamstring strain and Maxi Oyedele is dealing with a muscle injury.

Joaquin Panichelli netted a brace on matchday eight, with Diego Moreira also scoring, the seventh and first, respectively, for both players in Ligue 1 this season.

Lyon possible starting lineup:

Greif; Maitland-Niles, Mata, Kluivert, Abner; Sulc, Tessmann; Karabec, Tolisso, Fofana; Satriano

Strasbourg possible starting lineup:

Penders; Doue, Sylla, Hogsberg, Doukoure; Ouattara, Barco, Chilwell; Enciso, Paez; Panichelli

We say: Lyon 1-1 Strasbourg

Both sides are well organised with plenty of dependable depth pieces but having just a few days off since playing in Europe, we believe fatigue will be a factor for each on Sunday.

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