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

Seeking just their second home triumph on the current Ligue 1 campaign, Nantes will welcome Lyon to Stade de la Beaujoire on Saturday evening.

Heading into matchday 21, La Maison Jaune are 16th in the table after losing 2-1 to Lorient, while Lyon are fourth, blanking Lille 1-0 in their previous league fixture.

Match preview

The year may have begun brightly for Nantes, but lately, they seem to have regressed back to their mediocre selves, which we witnessed throughout the early portion of this season.

Since defeating Marseille 2-0 in early January, this team have suffered four consecutive competitive defeats, three in the top-flight.

If there is an encouraging sign, it might be that Ahmed Kantari’s men have lost two of their previous three league fixtures by just a single goal.

What must be equally frustrating, however is the fact that half of their defeats in the league this season (6/12) have been by that thin margin.

Their only home triumph in 2025-26 dates back to matchday three in August, when they defeated Auxerre by a 1-0 score.

Les Canaris sit six points behind Le Havre for a guaranteed place in Ligue 1 next season, earning points in three of their previous four home games against OL.

Over in the Southeast part of France, a campaign that hit a rough patch in November is back on the right track thanks to a series of impressive showings.

Lyon have won five successive Ligue 1 contests and 11 in a row across all competitions without a single point dropped in 2026.

Paulo Fonseca’s men are currently even with Marseille for third and a guaranteed spot in the League Phase of the Champions League next season.

They have won their last two away matches in this competition, scoring a combined eight goals over that stretch, and need just two more victories to equal the number of wins they recorded as the visitors last season.

On Saturday, they can claim three successive Ligue 1 victories for the first time since February-April 2024, when they won five in a row.

Les Gones are unbeaten in 2025-26 against the three teams currently occupying the bottom three positions in the league, conceding just once in those four outings.

Nantes Ligue 1 form:

Nantes form (all competitions):

Lyon Ligue 1 form:

Lyon form (all competitions):

Team News

A hamstring strain will likely keep Deiver Machado out of the Nantes fold this weekend, while Abakar Sylla will seek to make his first appearance for the club, having been loaned out by Strasbourg earlier this week.

Matthis Abline had the only goal for them on matchday 20, surpassing Youssef El-Arabi with his team-leading fourth of the campaign.

Numerous Lyon players are doubtful for Saturday, including Orel Mangala (knock), Corentin Tolisso (hamstring), Ernest Nuamah (cruciate ligament), Malick Fofana (ankle), Rachid Ghezzal (groin), Nicolas Tagliafico (ankle) and Tyler Morton (illness).

Noah Nartey’s 37th-minute strike against Lille was all they would need to collect maximum points, his first of the campaign, while Dominik Grief made four stops for his sixth Ligue 1 clean sheet.

Nantes possible starting lineup:

Lopes; Amian, Sissoko, Cozza; Centonze, Leroux, Lepenant, Coquelin; Abline, Cabella; Mohamed

Lyon possible starting lineup:

Grief; Maitland-Niles, Mata, Kluivert, Abner; Tessmann, Niakhate, Nartey; Endrick, Sulc, Karabec

We say: Nantes 0-1 Lyon

Lyon appear to have mastered close games, winning eight time in the league this season by a single goal, and their backline never seems rattled in big moments.

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