Preview: Monaco vs. Lyon - prediction, team news, lineups

Monaco will aim to kill off Lyon's already faint hopes of Ligue 1 glory when the two title-chasing sides do battle at the Stade Louis-II in the pick of the fixtures in gameweek 35.

Les Monegasques kept up their astonishing form with a 1-0 success against Angers last time out, while Lyon suffered a heartbreaking defeat against league leaders Lille.

Match preview

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There were no prizes for guessing who bailed Monaco out of trouble in their hotly-contested battle with Angers, as Wissam Ben Yedder once again proved his prowess as a super sub by calmly chipping the ball over Paul Bernardoni in the 79th minute of that 1-0 success.

The 30-year-old's 18th goal of the Ligue 1 season - and his fifth in four games - ultimately proved to be enough to keep Monaco's title hopes alive, and it really is anyone's game at the top of the table heading into what promises to be a pulsating month of May.

Having won their last five games in the top flight - the only team in the division to do so - Monaco remain third in the rankings, just one point behind second-placed Paris Saint-Germain and two behind leaders Lille, although that could all change when those two sides take to the field on Saturday.

There is the small matter of a Coupe de France semi-final with giant killers Rumilly Vallieres to come in a couple of weeks' time, but with Monaco losing just one of their last 23 in all competitions and keeping nine clean sheets on the bounce, Niko Kovac's team will feel confident of putting anyone to the sword.

Furthermore, Monaco's record of 38 points from 17 home matches is the best in the entire division, and they could stretch their unbeaten league run at the Stade Louis-II to 10 matches here, but a spate of injuries and positive coronavirus tests is threatening to derail their near-perfect start to 2021.

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It was Turkish delight for Lille and heartbreak for Lyon in last week's top-of-the-table bout, as Rudi Garcia's men stormed into a two-goal lead thanks to Islam Slimani's powerful effort and a comical own goal from Jose Fonte at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

However, Burak Yilmaz's scorcher of a free kick gave Lille hope before half time, and the 35-year-old then turned provider for Jonathan David before latching onto Yusuf Yazici's flick and securing a thrilling 3-2 win for Lille five minutes from time.

Barring a miraculous recovery in the final few weeks, Lyon may be forced to settle for a fourth-placed finish as a four-point gap has opened up between themselves and Monaco, and Garcia's side are also six points adrift of league leaders Lille with four games to go.

Les Gones can at least look ahead to friendlier fixtures with Lorient, Nimes and Nice to end the season, but having gone from table-toppers on New Year's Day to a fourth-placed standing heading into May, the second half of Lyon's season has been calamitous by comparison.

The seven-time French champions can only boast a mere two wins from their last six games in the top flight, but on the road is where they excel, as Garcia's men have strung together a 15-game unbeaten run away from home in the league and have not failed to score on rival turf since being held to a 0-0 draw at Bordeaux in September.

Lyon did thrash Monaco 4-1 at home earlier in the season, but the two sides have been on completely different paths since then, and Les Gones may have memories of last week's Coupe de France exit to Monaco still fresh in their memories before this season-defining showdown.

Team News

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Monaco quartet Krepin Diatta, Eliot Matazo, Chrislain Matsima and Enzo Millot had previously contracted COVID-19 before the Coupe de France battle with Lyon, so while those four should not be far off a return, Gelson Martins and Aleksandr Golovin have also returned positive tests more recently.

With Sofiane Diop also nursing a sprained ankle, Kevin Volland may be forced to play on the left unless Kovac takes a punt on Willem Geubbels or opts for a narrow diamond - both of which seem unlikely.

Stevan Jovetic came off injured after just 18 minutes against Angers and will relinquish his place to 18-goal Ben Yedder here, and Kovac has also hinted that Cesc Fabregas could enjoy a rare start on Sunday.

Lyon manager Garcia has ruled Melvin Bard out of this game after he tested positive for coronavirus, so Maxwel Cornet should return at left-back, while Jason Denayer and Slimani are both major doubts.

However, Tino Kadewere has made a timely return to the fold and should return out wide, allowing Memphis Depay to lead the line in Slimani's expected absence.

Bruno Guimaraes and Houssem Aouar are both vying for the chance to partner Maxence Caqueret in midfield, while Lucas Paqueta will keep his spot in the number 10 role despite being at fault for Lille's second last week.

Monaco possible starting lineup:
Lecomte; Sidibe, Maripan, Disasi, Henrique; Fofana, Tchouameni; Aguilar, Fabregas, Volland; Ben Yedder

Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lopes; Dubois, De Sciglio, Marcelo, Cornet; Caqueret, Guimaraes; Kadewere, Paqueta, Toko Ekambi; Depay

We say: Monaco 1-1 Lyon

While Monaco are so often reliant on Ben Yedder, the loss of Golovin cannot be overlooked, as they have won 83% of their games with the Russian playmaker on the field compared to just 44% without him.

Lyon have their own injury and morale problems to contend with for this mouthwatering battle, but their spectacular record away from home speaks for itself, and we expect Les Gones to break Monaco's resistance and hold them to a score draw - not that it would do much good for their fleeting title hopes, though.