Seeking to avoid a fourth game without a win in all competitions, Lyon return to Ligue 1 action with the visit of Angers to the Groupama Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Les Gones entered the international break on the back of a goalless stalemate with Reims, while Les Scoistes ran out 1-0 winners over Brest in front of their own fans.
Match preview
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While Lyon were on cloud nine after getting the better of Porto and booking their spot in the quarter-finals of the Europa League - where West Ham United are lying in wait - the European fatigue was on full display for Peter Bosz's side against Reims.
Les Gones went close through Moussa Dembele and Houssem Aouar - the former inexplicably missing from less than a yard out with the goal at his mercy - but were ultimately forced to settle for a point as their hopes of challenging for a top-five finish were dealt another blow.
Now lying smack-bang in the middle of the table in 10th place, Lyon are a full six points behind Strasbourg in the Europa Conference League spot and 10 off a Champions League berth, and their greatest chance of returning to the continental stage for 2022-23 surely lies in the Europa League.
West Ham will be no pushovers, though, with the two sides gearing up for the first leg of their quarter-final on Thursday, but the immediate task at hand for Lyon is to avoid recording a third straight Ligue 1 defeat at the Groupama Stadium following losses to Rennes and Lille.
On a brighter note, the 1-0 loss to Lille on February 27 is the only time that Lyon have failed to score at home in the top flight in their last 24 such matches, and Bosz would have welcomed the international break amid a hectic domestic and continental schedule.
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Slipping closer and closer to a relegation dogfight amid a seven-game losing run, Angers finally managed to stabilise their position when Brest paid a visit to the Stade Raymond Kopa, with Gerald Baticle's side running out 1-0 winners.
Sofiane Boufal stepped up to the penalty spot after Pierrick Capelle went down under the attention of Lucien Agoume, and the former Southampton man sent Marco Bizot the wrong way for the game's only goal as Les Scoistes entered the international break on a high note.
The international period possibly came at the worst time for Angers as they seek to build momentum following that narrow win, and Baticle's side have now cemented themselves in 14th spot - nine clear of Metz in the bottom two and five above 18th-placed Saint-Etienne before Saturday's fixtures take place.
Having ended their abysmal losing streak in front of their own fans, Angers' next quest is to snap a five-game winless run on rival turf - taking just one point from the last 15 on offer in that sequence - and only one of their last 13 away games in the top flight has ended in victory.
However, Angers will have pleasant memories of their 3-0 triumph over Lyon during the second gameweek of the 2021-22 season back in August, although Les Gones have won their last three home encounters versus Les Scoistes, who are fighting an uphill battle to make lightning strike twice here.
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Team News
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As well as long-term absentees Lenny Pintor, Rayan Cherki and Sinaly Diomande, Lyon have been dealt a blow with the news that influential midfielder Maxence Caqueret suffered a suspected knee injury in training.
Romain Faivre also missed out against Reims before the break with a muscular problem but is not thought to be nursing anything serious, while defender Jerome Boateng is touch-and-go with a hamstring problem.
Tottenham Hotspur loanee Tanguy Ndombele is set for an immediate recall to the midfield with Caqueret absent, while Emerson Palmieri will hope to reclaim his rightful spot at left-back over Henrique, and Karl Toko Ekambi returns after scoring a last-minute winner against Algeria to send Cameroon to the 2022 World Cup.
In contrast, Angers' squad will be boosted by the returns of two players from suspension this week, as Casimir Ninga and Vincent Manceau are both back from bans served in the win over Brest.
Manceau is seemingly set for an immediate recall to the defence with Romain Thomas now banned for his own accumulation of yellow cards, while Jimmy Cabot is recovering from ankle surgery.
Baticle will also have Angelo Fulgini and Ismael Traore at his disposal for Sunday's game, but Enzo Ebosse and Nabil Bentaleb have both come down with illnesses and are set to miss out.
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lopes; Gusto, Lukeba, Mendes, Emerson; Aouar, Ndombele; Faivre, Paqueta, Toko Ekambi; Dembele
Angers possible starting lineup:
Mandrea; Bamba, Manceau, Traore; Lage, Mendy, Capelle, Doumbia; Fulgini; Boufal, Bahoken
We say: Lyon 2-1 Angers
Losing Caqueret ahead of such a crucial period is undoubtedly a huge blow for this Lyon side, but a refreshed Gones outfit still possess the attacking nous needed to keep up their strong goalscoring streak on home soil.
While Angers' camp is boosted by a number of key returns, Baticle's men just cannot find the formula for success away from home, and Lyon should warm up for their Europa League quarter-final with all three points on Sunday.
Ben Knapton
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Lyon win with a probability of 69.87%. A draw had a probability of 18.8% and a win for Angers had a probability of 11.33%.
The most likely scoreline for a Lyon win was 2-0 with a probability of 13.21%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (12.48%) and 2-1 (9.43%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.91%), while for an Angers win it was 0-1 (4.21%). The actual scoreline of 3-2 was predicted with a 2.4% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Lyon would win this match.
