Lyon have one final chance to leapfrog Monaco into the third and final Champions League place when they welcome Nice to the Groupama Stadium for the final matchday of the 2020-21 Ligue 1 season.
The hosts occupy fourth spot in the table with 90 minutes left to play - one point behind Monaco - while Nice are destined to finish in mid-table and are simply hoping to give a good account of themselves this weekend.
Match preview
© Reuters
A significant summer of change could be upon Juninho in the Lyon offices after the final whistle blows this weekend, as Rudi Garcia seeks to bow out with a win and steer Les Gones back to the Champions League before his short but sweet time in the dugout ceases.
The title is now impossible for a Lyon side who offered so much promise before the turn of the year, and unless Lens manage to spring a surprise against Monaco in the final gameweek, Lyon will have to be content with a fourth-placed ranking and a route into the Europa League next term.
However, Lyon have found their shooting boots and were once again inspired to victory by prolific playmaker Lucas Paqueta last time out, as the Brazilian scored two and set up another in a 5-2 thrashing of Nimes - which relegated Les Crocos from the top flight - and Islam Slimani, Houssem Aouar and Memphis Depay all got in on the act too.
The Depay-led Gones attack will certainly have a different feel to it next term as the Dutchman prepares to leave the club at the end of his contract, but with the 20-goal forward at the forefront of a Lyon attack which boasts 19 goals from their last six games, Garcia will hope to see the best of him for one last time before they both head their separate ways.
Lyon's home form has been the thorn in their side throughout the season, though, as they have made a habit of winning one then losing one on familiar territory in recent weeks - a run of form which must be halted if they are to have any chance of a podium finish.
© Reuters
A serious injury to reinvigorated midfielder Alexis Claude-Maurice - Nice's fourth long-term injury concern of the season - rubbed salt into the wounds during their battle with Strasbourg last time out, as Ludovic Ajorque's brace condemned Adrian Ursea's side to a third loss from five outings.
Ursea knew the magnitude of the job that he was taking when appointed Patrick Vieira's successor, and despite some initial glimmers of hope that a second season in Europe could have been on the cards, it will be a domestic-only season for Les Aiglons in the 2021-22 campaign.
Nice should be assured of a top-half finish and are still capable of leapfrogging Montpellier HSC into a respectable eighth spot, while Metz and Saint-Etienne both sit three points behind Ursea's ninth-placed side and are unlikely to usurp their mid-table adversaries on the final day.
As clubs turn their attention towards summer transfer business, Nice would do extremely well to keep hold of 21-year-old prospect Amine Gouiri, who has been involved in 18 goals (12 strikes, six assists) in 33 league matches this term and will surely be on the radar of top European sides as he prepares to meet former club Lyon.
Lyon eased to a straightforward 4-1 win over Nice during their first meeting of the season, although two strikes from the misfiring Kasper Dolberg saw Les Aiglons win this fixture 2-1 during the 2019-20 season.
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- L
- W
- W
- W
- D
- L
- W
- L
- W
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Lyon attacker Tino Kadewere had only just returned to fitness before suffering a frustrating thigh injury, and having undergone surgery to rectify the issue, the Zimbabwean attacker will spend the summer recovering.
The hosts are otherwise well-stocked for the final day of the season and are likely to name an unchanged XI given the manner of their victory at Nimes, which would mean a start for Depay on what is expected to be his final game for the club.
Veteran defender Marcelo was at fault for one of Moussa Kone's goals last time out but should not be in any danger of losing his place alongside Jason Denayer.
Nice midfielder Claude-Maurice has undergone successful surgery on the fractured fibula he suffered in the loss to Strasbourg, and the 22-year-old joins three other long-term absentees in Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Myziane Maolida and Dante in the infirmary.
Stanley Nsoki is also set to miss the final day of the season with an adductor issue, but Pierre Lees Melou is back from suspension and could fill the void left by Claude-Maurice's absence in the middle.
Youngsters such as Dan Ndoye and Khephren Thuram are vying for starts with nothing at stake, while the centre-back pairing of William Saliba and Jean-Clair Todibo look set to link up for one final time before they return to Arsenal and Barcelona respectively, although the latter is rumoured to be in line for a permanent move to the Allianz Riviera.
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lopes; Dubois, Denayer, Marcelo, Cornet; Guimaraes, Caqueret; Toko Ekambi, Paqueta, Aouar; Depay
Nice possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Lotomba, Saliba, Todibo, Kamara; Thuram, Lees Melou, Boudaoui; Lopes, Dolberg, Gouiri
We say: Lyon 3-1 Nice
Another convincing win for Lyon will count for nought if Monaco come up trumps in their battle with Lens, but Garcia and Depay will be determined to go out with a bang against a Nice side who have nothing to play for.
Gouiri will of course be aiming to show his former club what they are missing, and his teammate Rony Lopes is also renowned for his goalscoring exploits against Lyon, but we are not expecting any shocks at the Groupama Stadium.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Lyon win with a probability of 63.23%. A draw had a probability of 19.4% and a win for Nice had a probability of 17.36%.
The most likely scoreline for a Lyon win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.8%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.01%) and 1-0 (8.08%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.78%), while for a Nice win it was 1-2 (4.77%). The actual scoreline of 2-3 was predicted with a 1.9% likelihood.
