Nice VS Lyon - France Ligue 1 Match Preview

Match Time：12/20/2020 04:00 Sunday  (GMT+8)

France Ligue 1 --  Nice   VS   Lyon

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Nice will be hoping to build on their maiden victory under Adrian Ursea when they welcome Lyon to the Allianz Riviera for Sunday's Ligue 1 encounter. The hosts occupy 11th spot in the table following their midweek win over Nimes, whereas Lyon lost ground in the title race with a draw against Brest.

 

Match preview

Nice finally managed to return to winning ways in midweek following the sacking of Patrick Vieira, with a 2-0 triumph over relegation candidates Nimes representing Ursea's first win as Aiglons manager. Two late goals from substitutes Dan Ndoye and Alexis Claude-Maurice propelled Nice to their first victory in the league since November 1, and Les Aiglons managed to prevail despite seeing Morgan Schneiderlin sent off just before the hour mark.Ursea's long-awaited first win at the helm sees Nice remain in mid-table obscurity, and Les Aiglons are now only three places adrift of the top eight having played a game fewer than Brest, Angers and Monaco.With no continental competition to juggle following their early exit from the Europa League, Ursea can give the league his undivided attention as he searches for his first home win as Nice manager, with this weekend's hosts out to end a five-game losing streak in all competitions at the Allianz Riviera. Meanwhile, Lyon welcomed Brest to the Groupama Stadium just days after beating Paris Saint-Germain, and the Gones faithful would have been forgiven for expecting another three points from their side on Wednesday evening.However, the in-form Pirates managed to hold Lyon to a 2-2 draw despite going down to 10 men, with Romain Faivre netting a last-gasp equaliser from the penalty spot after Memphis Depay and Maxwell Cornet had come off the bench to cancel out Anthony Lopes's own goal.While that result stretched Lyon's unbeaten run in the French top flight to 12 matches, Les Gones' five-game winning streak came to an abrupt end and Rudi Garcia's men have dropped down to third in the table, with Lille and PSG both prevailing in midweek. Garcia's side are only two points off top spot, though, and something has to give when Lille face off against PSG in a top-of-the-table battle on Sunday, so Lyon will sit atop the pile for at least 24 hours with a victory at the Allianz Riviera.All three games between Nice and Lyon last season ended in a 2-1 scoreline, with Les Aiglons prevailing on their own turf in this fixture before defeats at Lyon and in the Coupe de France.

 

Nice Ligue 1 form: WLLDLW

Nice form (all competitions): LLDLLW

 

Lyon Ligue 1 form: WWWWWD

 

Team News

Nice's Schneiderlin is suspended for this one after being given his marching orders in midweek, but Hicham Boudaoui returns from his own ban and should slot straight into the Aiglons midfield, while Jeff Reine-Adelaide is ineligible to face his parent club.Kasper Dolberg was forced to pull out of the squad on the morning of the last game with groin pain, and the injury-plagued striker is set to remain sidelined for this one, while Pierre Lees-Melou, Youcef Atal and Danilo Barbosa also occupy spots in the treatment room.Ndoye and Claude-Maurice have staked their spots for starting roles with their goals against Nimes, with the former potentially replacing Rony Lopes on the right flank.Lyon's Thiago Mendes is still banned following his red card in the win over PSG, but his challenge on Neymar thankfully did not leave the attacker with a broken ankle.Lucas Paqueta will be vying for a start in midfield after coming on as a substitute against Brest, with Maxence Caqueret potentially the unlucky one to drop out.Depay boasts five goals in this fixture and is sure to lead the line ahead of Moussa Dembele, while Cornet is also in line for a return at left-back.

 

Nice possible starting lineup: Benitez; Pelmard, Bambu, Nsoki; Lotomba, Boudaoui, Thuram, Kamara; Ndoye, Gouiri, Claude-Maurice

Lyon possible starting lineup: Lopes; Dubois, Denayer, Marcelo, Cornet; Guimaraes, Aouar, Paqueta; Kadewere, Depay, Toko Ekambi

 

Nice VS Lyon

Nice 1-2 Lyon

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