Two Ligue 1 giants looking to get back to winning ways will lock horns in the Olympico as Lyon welcome Marseille to the Groupama Stadium for Sunday evening's mouthwatering showdown.
Both sides took a point from their most recent fixtures, with Lorient holding Lyon to a 1-1 draw while Marseille's game with Metz finished with the same scoreline.
Match preview
© Reuters
With no European football to juggle with domestic commitments this time around, Lyon have been provided with the perfect opportunity to focus on the Ligue 1 season and pave the way for a return to the top four and the Champions League.
However, Rudi Garcia's men have endured a truly underwhelming start to the campaign and have not tasted victory since their 4-1 thrashing of Dijon in their first outing of the campaign, with Lyon drawing three of their last four games.
Lorient looked set to take all three points against Lyon in their clash with Les Gones in gameweek five, but Leo Dubois cancelled out Yoane Wissa's opener as Garcia's blushes were temporarily spared once again.
Nevertheless, the Lyon manager will be aware that this form cannot be allowed to continue if Les Gones are to mount a charge for Champions League qualification, and the end of the transfer window cannot come soon enough for a Lyon side who are seeing a number of their most prized assets being linked with moves elsewhere.
Should Lyon manage to keep hold of Arsenal target Houssem Aouar and Barcelona-linked Memphis Depay, there can be no excuses for a side of their calibre not to finish in the top four despite the widespread speculation surrounding the futures of some of their stars.
© Reuters
Meanwhile, Marseille began their season strongly with two victories over Brest and Paris Saint-Germain, but Les Olympiens have since tailed off and can boast just eight points from five games in the new season.
Indeed, Andre Villas-Boas has witnessed his side scrape two 1-1 draws with Lille and Metz over the last couple of weeks, and Marseille have since slipped to ninth in the table ahead of Sunday's Olympico.
With six goals scored and conceded at this early stage of the season, Marseille are the only team in the division with a neutral goal difference heading into gameweek six, although striker Dario Benedetto is yet to open his account for the campaign.
Les Olympiens were seconds away from falling to defeat against a struggling Metz side following Ibrahima Niane's opener, and it took a Morgan Sanson strike five minutes into added time for Villas-Boas's side to come away with a share of the spoils.
Marseille will not feel all that optimistic about their chances of prevailing in this weekend's derby either - Les Olympiens have not won a league game at Lyon since the 2007-08 campaign, and Les Gones have won four of the last five Ligue 1 clashes with their Olympique rivals.
Lyon Ligue 1 form: WDLDD
Marseille Ligue 1 form: WWLDD
Team News
© Reuters
Depay was only named on the bench for Lyon's draw with Lorient but will be expected to come back into the frame for the visit of Marseille, potentially leading Garcia to switch back to a four-man defence.
A change in formation would most likely see Melvin Bard recalled to the side at left-back, with 19-year-old Sinaly Diomande at risk of dropping down to the bench.
Wantaway midfielder Jeff Reine-Adelaide is sidelined with a muscular injury, while Karl Toko Ekambi and Maxence Caqueret are both doubts after missing out last weekend.
Meanwhile, Villas-Boas will be welcoming Jordan Amavi back to the squad after the left-back served a three-game suspension, and Amavi is expected to replace Yuto Nagatomo for Sunday's trip to the Groupama Stadium.
Defender Alvaro Gonzalez is to face no disciplinary action following allegations of racist comments directed towards Neymar, and the Spaniard will continue to line up alongside Duje Caleta-Car in defence.
Nemanja Radonjic bagged the assist for Sanson's equaliser against Metz, but Villas-Boas will most likely keep faith in the front three of Benedetto, Dimitri Payet and Florian Thauvin.
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lopes; Dubois, Denayer, Marcelo, Bard; Mendes, Aouar, Guimaraes; Cherki, Dembele, Depay
Marseille possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; Sakai, Gonzalez, Caleta-Car, Bard; Kamara, Sanson, Rongier; Thauvin, Benedetto, Payet
We say: Lyon 1-1 Marseille
While a clash between Lyon and Marseille will have fans licking their lips at the prospect of an enticing showdown between two of France's most celebrated teams, neither side is heading into the game on a good run of form. Lyon are struggling to find the back of the net despite the attacking firepower at their disposal, but Marseille's record in front of goal also leaves a lot to be desired, so we expect this derby to finish all square.
