Fresh from picking up his first victory as Lyon manager, Laurent Blanc prepares for his baptism at the Groupama Stadium as Lille pay a visit for Sunday evening's Ligue 1 clash.
Les Gones ran out 2-1 winners over Montpellier HSC last weekend, while the visitors recovered from a string of defensive errors to put Monaco to the sword 4-3.
Match preview
© Reuters
Returning to the club whom he scored a record 84 goals for, Laurent Blanc – who is still Montpellier's most prolific goalscorer of all time – had his own star striker to thank as he picked up his first win since taking the reins from Peter Bosz, with Alexandre Lacazette on top form in a 2-1 Stade de la Mosson win.
The ex-Arsenal man firstly turned provider for the rejuvenated Houssem Aouar – given a new lease of life under Blanc – to comfortably slot home in the 33rd minute, but a goal-of-the-season-worthy overhead kick from Elye Wahi would make things interesting before Lacazette fired home his seventh goal of the season on the 90-minute mark.
For all of his failures in front of goal during his final year at Arsenal, Lacazette has been a shining light in an otherwise underwhelming campaign for Lyon this far, with Les Gones languishing in eighth in the table and six points adrift of the top five.
Early indications of life under Blanc seem to point towards goal-laden encounters for Lyon, who also struck twice in a 3-2 loss to Rennes in the 56-year-old's first game in charge, but a switch to a back three has not allowed them to break a seven-game run without a clean sheet.
Les Gones now welcome Lille to the Groupama Stadium aiming to avoid a third game in a row without a win at home, and while they have not conceded more than once in any of their home fixtures this term, Paulo Fonseca's charges will certainly put that record to the test.
© Reuters
Lucas Chevalier and Tiago Djalo were the two most relieved men in the stadium when the final whistle blew in Lille's goal fest with Monaco, as the Dogues duo's calamitous errors ultimately did not impact the result in a thrilling 4-3 success for the 2020-21 champions.
Goalkeeper Chevalier allowed a low Caio Henrique free kick to seep through his hands into the back of the net, while Djalo was caught dilly-dallying in defence as Wissam Ben Yedder stole in, but Remy Cabella (2), Alexsandro and Jonathan Bamba more than made up for their teammates' mistakes.
A rare game without a goal for Jonathan David did not matter too much for Fonseca's side, who have now won their last three in a row to surge up to sixth in the table - just one point behind Marseille in the fifth and final European spot and five adrift of the Champions League places.
Unsurprisingly, putting the ball in the back of the net has not been the issue for Lille, whose tally of 25 strikes can only be bettered by Paris Saint-Germain's 32, but 21 goals shipped represents the worst defensive record of any top-half side.
Les Dogues have also recorded just one shutout in their last 10 away matches, although that did come in a 3-0 success at Strasbourg two weekends ago, and the visitors have impressively gone 11 Ligue 1 games unbeaten versus Lyon - winning each of their last three at the Groupama Stadium.
Team News
© Reuters
Lyon ended the win over Montpellier with 10 men after Sinaly Diomande was sent off for a skirmish with Stephy Mavididi, who was also given his marching orders after squaring up to the Gones defender following a foul.
While Mavididi has been banned for two games, Diomande will only miss this weekend's match, which could see Blanc introduce Damien Da Silva to the back three or switch to a four-man rearguard.
Corentin Tolisso (thigh) and Julian Pollersbeck (knee) are the only two injury-related absentees for the hosts, who should otherwise line up with a near-identical XI as Lacazette and Moussa Dembele spearhead the charge.
As Lyon lose a player to suspension, Lille welcome two vital cogs in Benjamin Andre and Jose Fonte back from bans of their own, and both experienced heads should come straight back into the first XI for this game.
With Fonte set to come back into the rearguard, Alexsandro's reward for his first strike last week could be a harsh demotion to the bench, with Djalo seemingly set to hold his place despite allowing Ben Yedder to score a simple goal.
A similarly tough situation could befall Angel Gomes, who set up Bamba's late winner but should now make way for the returning Andre, and his prospects of holding down a place in a more advanced role are slim given that Adam Ounas has recovered from a muscle problem which forced him off early against Monaco.
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lopes; Lukeba, Boateng, Da Silva; Gusto, Mendes, Caqueret, Tagliafico; Aouar; Dembele, Lacazette
Lille possible starting lineup:
Chevalier; Diakite, Djalo, Fonte, Ismaily; Andre, Gomes; Ounas, Cabella, Bamba; David
We say: Lyon 2-2 Lille
An entertaining showdown between two sides who have the Midas touch about them is an ideal way to wrap up this weekend's Ligue 1 action, and goals should be on the cards between these two prolific outfits.
Fonte's return to the backline is invaluable for Lille, who would do well to take advantage of a Diomande-less Lyon defence, but Lacazette and Aouar are more than capable of coming up with the goods and forcing a share of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
