Lyon-Monaco is a match valid for the 31st day of Ligue 1 and is played on Sunday at 7pm: stats, live TV, likely lineups, predictions.
Lyon’s 7-game unbeaten streak-including the French Cup semifinal with Valenciennes-was broken last Sunday in the challenge with leading PSG. The Parisians, now one step away from the title, brought Pierre Sage’s men back down to earth. A lesson the Gones’ coach will not easily forget. And one he will treasure precisely in view of the national cup final, which he will contend with Luis Enrique’s battleship on May 25.
Lyon, at any rate, before the bad night in Paris, had brought itself back to within touching distance of the positions that count – read Europe – and it was by no means a foregone conclusion to do so after a disastrous first half of the season, to say the least. Three coaches followed one another on the Rhone club’s bench from August to November, including former Frosinone man Fabio Grosso. The one who seems to have found the right formula to bring Lyon, which was built to fight for ambitious goals, back to the top was Sage himself, initially appointed as a ferryman. The fact of the matter is that, thanks to a resounding turnaround, the Gones are now only a glue away from that seventh place that could mean Conference League at the end of May. Not to mention that Lyon can still qualify for the Europa League should they win the French Cup.
Also dreaming of returning to the Europe that counts is Monaco, which in the midweek recovery bent Lille 1-0, “ruining” the party for PSG. The Parisians could have celebrated the title as early as last Wednesday but the success of the Monegasques postponed everything until Saturday. Adi Hutter’s men, -11 from the first place, have the task of defending the second place but especially the qualification to the next Champions League.
The prediction
Monaco will not be able to postpone PSG’s party this time – the Parisians will only need not to lose in the advance with Le Havre 24 hours earlier – but they should at least avoid defeat in Lyon. The Monegasques are on a roll – four wins in a row, conceding only two goals – and have not lost since February. The conditions for an entertaining match, even considering the hosts’ need to score points, are all there.
Lyon-Monaco’s likely lineups
LYON (4-3-3): Lopes; Maitland-Niles, Caleta-Car, O’Brien, Tagliafico; Caqueret, Matic, Tolisso; Nuamah, Lacazette, Cherki.
MONACO (4-4-2): Majecki; Vanderson, Maripan, Salisu, Ouattara; Akliouche, Fofana, Zakaria, Diatta; Minamino, Ben Yedder.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-2
