Montpellier eye end to four-game winless run in trip to Lyon.
[introduction]
Olympique Lyonnais vs. Montpellier Hérault SC kicks off at 20:00 [GMT] on Saturday, January 4, at Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
[home]
Lyon heads into this weekend’s Ligue 1 encounter looking to pick up where they left off before the close of the previous year, having recorded a hard-fought 2-1 Cup victory over fourth-tier side Feignies to advance to the next phase of the competition. Lyon’s last league outing ended in a 3-1 defeat to league leaders Paris Saint-Germain, leaving them fifth in the Ligue 1 standings with 25 points from 15 games [7W, 4D, 4L], two points behind fourth-placed Lille. OL [WDWWL] could secure their first league win in a calendar year for the first time in three years when they welcome Montpellier this weekend in what will be their 60th top-flight meeting. Les Gones will be buoyed by their impressive record against the visitors, boasting a 49.2% [29/59] win percentage, only bettered against Strasbourg [51.6% – 49/95] and Angers [50.0% – 31/62]. Ernest Nuamah, Alexandre Lacazette, and Rayan Cherki are expected to lead the attack in a 4—3—3. Meanwhile, Nicolás Tagliafico is ruled out for this clash due to accumulated yellow cards. In a new development, centre-forward Gift Orban has officially signed for Bundesliga side TSG Hoffenheim in a €12m deal.
[away]
Meanwhile, Montpellier hit a new low with a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Le Puy in the Coupe de France. This is the biggest margin of defeat for a top-flight club against a team below the third national level in the competition’s history. After a disastrous run of one win in their first eight league games [1W, 1D, 6L], the Occitanie-based outfit sacked former boss Michel Der Zakarian on October 20, ushering in the arrival of Jean-Louis Gasset two days later. However, the veteran manager’s appointment has done little to turn their season around, with just one win in their last eight games across all competitions, including seven in L1. Gasset’s side have alternated between a loss and a draw in their last four league outings [WLDLD], with their most recent result being a 2-2 draw against Nice. That draw leaves La Paillade at the bottom of the Ligue 1 table, having managed just 9 points from 15 games [2W, 3D, 10L]. Gasset’s men make the trip to Lyon this weekend, hoping to end a four-game winless run. However, they have lost their first match of a calendar year in Ligue 1 in each of the last four years, their longest such run. Akor Adams is expected to lead the attack in a 4—2—3—1 formation. Meanwhile, Joris Chotard is ruled out due to accumulated yellow cards.
