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Friday sees Nantes face off with Lyon in a Ligue 1 clash at the Stade de la Beaujoire.
After avoiding relegation via the playoffs last season, Nantes are currently in fifth place, while Lyon have yet to win a game.
Can Lyon pick up their first victory of the campaign or will Nantes continue their surprisingly solid start with a good result here?
Nantes vs Lyon Head-to-Head
Nantes only retained their Ligue 1 status by defeating Toulouse over a two-legged playoff at the end of last season. Unsurprisingly then, hopes of a good 2021-22 campaign were relatively low.
However, Antoine Kombouare’s side have started the season relatively well. They drew with Monaco on the opening weekend and then defeated Metz 2-0 in an impressive performance.
They lost their last game 1-0 to Rennes, but they’ve definitely demonstrated that they can perform better at this level than what they showed last season.
Meanwhile, Lyon haven’t enjoyed the best start to their campaign since finishing in fourth place last season.
They opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Brest, and then lost to Angers 3-0 before drawing with newly-promoted Clermont 3-3.
The fact that they scored three goals last weekend will be encouraging for them, but their defensive woes are still worrying.
Results between Lyon and Nantes over recent seasons have been mixed. In the last six games, Lyon have won three, Nantes have won two and there has been one draw.
Nantes form guide (competitive games only): W-L-D-W-L
Lyon form guide (competitive games only): W-L-D-L-D
Nantes vs Lyon Team News
Nantes
Nantes are expected to be without key striker Randal Kolo Muani for this game, as he’s nursing a calf injury. Anthony Limbombe, Wylan Cyprien and Kalifa Coulibaly are also unlikely to be involved.
Injured: None
Doubtful: Randal Kolo Muani, Anthony Limbombe, Wylan Cyprien, Kalifa Coulibaly
Suspended: None
Lyon
Lenny Pintor and Jeff Reine-Adelaide are definitely out for Lyon; both men have severe knee injuries and won’t return until October at the earliest.
Injured: Lenny Pintor, Jeff Reine-Adelaide
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Nantes vs Lyon Predicted XI
Nantes predicted XI (4-4-2): Alban Lafont, Sebastien Corchia, Jean-Charles Castelletto, Nicolas Pallois, Charles Traore, Ludovic Blas, Andrei Girotto, Pedro Chirivella, Marcus Coco, Moses Simon, Osman Bukari
Lyon predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Anthony Lopes, Leo Dubois, Damien Da Silva, Jason Denayer, Emerson, Maxence Caqueret, Thiago Mendes, Lucas Paqueta, Xherdan Shaqiri, Karl Toko Ekambi, Moussa Dembele
Nantes vs Lyon Prediction
These sides have enjoyed differing results to start the season, but based on their last game with Clermont, this could be the game that sees Lyon kickstart their season.
Striker Moussa Dembele appears to have found his scoring boots, and Peter Bosz’s side have enough talent overall to win this one. Unless Nantes are at the top of their game, an away win seems likely.
Prediction: Nantes 1-2 Lyon
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