Preview: Monaco vs. Lyon

Preview: Monaco vs. Lyon

One of the top home sides in Ligue 1 have a chance to extend their domestic unbeaten run at Stade Louis II to nine games as Monaco play host to Lyon on Saturday.

Les Monegasques are eighth in the table, but only a point behind Lyon for seventh, while only two points separate them from Strasbourg, who are fourth.

Monaco surprised many people back in December with the sacking of manager Niko Kovac, despite the team losing only once in November and December, while also advancing into the knockout stage of the Europa League.

Now under former Club Brugge coach Philippe Clement, this group have had a mixture of solid and disappointing results, beginning 2022 with a 0-0 draw versus Nantes before a scintillating 4-0 victory over Clermont, and most recently erasing a 2-0 deficit only to concede a 91st-minute winner to Stephy Mavididi and Montpellier in a 3-2 defeat.

Clement has adopted numerous systems during his managerial career, but one philosophy that has always remained consistent with the Belgian has been to have a side that can dominate a game, while also showing commitment, envy, and playing offensive-minded.

Since arriving in the Principality he has put an emphasis on the ability to adapt to the qualities that each of his players may possess, and it seems as though in his early days with the club, he has been able to bring out a lot of quality that was missing from some of their most prominent talents.

After being shut out in their opening fixture this year, Les Rouges et Blancs have shown the kind of quality that we all expected from them at the start of this campaign, scoring 10 goals in their last three matches played in all competitions.

The club has made no secret that they want to be taking part in European tournaments consistently, and unfortunately, throughout this campaign, consistency has been an issue as they have not won consecutive Ligue 1 fixtures since November, while failing to win more than three straight games domestically all season, and as a result they find themselves on the outside when it comes to a place in Europe.

Lately, one has been the magical number for Olympique Lyonnais, who have tallied a single goal in four consecutive French league encounters, winning their last two by a 1-0 score.

For a side who enjoy playing quick, attacking football, while moving the ball around rapidly, they have also done well defensively, collecting back-to-back clean sheets in league play for the first time this season under Dutch manager Peter Bosz.

Their splendid form in the Europa League last year, where they topped their group with five wins and a draw, appears to have helped their confidence in Ligue 1, where they are unbeaten in their last six encounters.

The club was highly active over the final few days of the transfer window, offloading several players, and at the same time, making some big signings in the hopes of bolstering a midfield that has struggled with its creativity.

Les Gones have been fast out of the gate in recent matches, scoring in the first half in each of their previous three fixtures, two of which came in the opening 20 minutes, but they have had difficulty putting teams away, and that has led to some tense final moments in their games.

It is worth noting that they do have several players out injured or on international duty, and it seems like they may need a few of them down the stretch run of this season as they hope to finish in the top four.

Monaco Ligue 1 form:
WLWDWL
Monaco form (all competitions):
WWDWLW
Lyon Ligue 1 form:
DDDWWW

We say: Monaco 3-1 Lyon
Monaco have come out very aggressively and have been lethal in the final third, so we expect them to continue their strong play at home with a striker in Ben Yedder who is in fine form, while on the opposite side, the absence of Ekambi seems to be affecting a team that need to find alternative sources to score.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *