Third meets sixth in Ligue 1 this weekend, as Nice host Lyon at the Allianz Riviera on Sunday evening.
Seven points separate the two sides in the table, and realistically, the visitors need to win this match to have any real shot at qualifying for the Champions League next season.
Match preview
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The hosts come into this game in good form, with the club having only lost once in the league in 2025, and they have secured seven wins in their last 10 Ligue 1 matches.
The title race in France is almost certainly over, with Paris Saint-Germain currently the runaway leaders, as they are 13 points clear at the top of Ligue 1.
Although the race for top spot is not tight, the gap between the other clubs is far closer, with just six points separating second-placed Marseille and Monaco in fourth.
Sandwiched between those two sides are Nice, who have 46 points and are chasing down Marseille in second place.
They have been able to stay in contention for second position in the table, as Nice have been strong at both ends of the pitch this season, with Nice owning the fourth-strongest defensive record in the division, having conceded just 28 times in 24 matches.
At the other end of the pitch, they have scored plenty of times during this campaign, with their 49 goals scored currently the third-highest goal total in the division, with only PSG and Marseille outscoring Les Aiglons.
Evann Guessand netted his 10th league goal of the campaign last time out against St-Etienne, as he helped secured a 3-1 win for Nice last weekend.
Guessand has been a threat in front of goal and also a creative figure in the Nice side this year, with his eight assists in the league, meaning that he leads the team in both of those categories in the league.
Franck Haise's team have performed well both at home and on their travels this season, as they have the third-best record in Ligue 1 at home, as well as the fourth-best record on the road.
However, one of the away fixtures that they did lose was the reverse fixture between these two clubs back in December, as an Alexandre Lacazette hat-trick inspired Lyon to a resounding 4-1 triumph over Nice.
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They will look to gain revenge on a Lyon side that were in European action on Thursday, as they secured a 3-1 victory against Steaua Bucharest in the first leg of their Europa League clash.
A difficult start to 2025 saw former head coach Pierre Sage replaced by Paulo Fonseca at the end of January, and the club has won four of their six fixtures since the change in management.
Fonseca has been banned from conducting his matchday duties for almost nine months after he confronted referee Benoit Millot during a 2-1 win against Brest last weekend.
The Lyon boss squared up to the referee and was sent off by Millot, but will now not have access to his bench, dressing rooms and he will not be able to carry out official functions before, during, and after games until the end of November.
The visitors came from behind to beat Brest in that game, with two goals from Lacazette swinging the match in their favour.
The former Arsenal man has been in good form this season when fit, and he leads the team in scoring with nine goals in 21 league appearances so far.
Lyon have scored 14 goals in their five league matches under Fonseca, having netted 30 times in 19 matches under their previous boss Sage, highlighting an improvement in the attacking play their new boss.
The visitors are the fifth-highest scorers in the league, with only the current top four sides in the division currently ahead of them for goals scored.
Having already netted four in the reverse fixture in December, they will believe that they have a chance of scoring goals this weekend.
However, Lyon have performed significantly better at home than on their travels this year, as Fonseca's side have only won four of their 12 away matches so far in Ligue 1, compared to seven home victories in the same number of games.
A win for the visitors this weekend would help bring them to within four points of Nice, and it would also help to make the race for Champions League football next season even more entertaining.
Team News
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The hosts have a few injury worries ahead of this match, with Terem Moffi (ACL) a long-term absentee for the club.
Elsewhere, Morgan Sanson is continuing his recovery from an ankle injury and is unlikely to be ready for this match, while Tanguy Ndombele has been ruled out with a groin injury.
Meanwhile, the visitors have a clean bill of health ahead of this match, with Lacazette likely to lead the attack following his two goals against Brest last time out.
The visitors will also welcome back Nicolas Tagliafico to the team, as he is back from a one-match ban that ruled him out of last weekend's win.
Nice possible starting lineup:
Bulka; Clauss, Dante, Bombito, Ndayishimiye; Guessand, Bard, Santamaria, Rosario; Laborde, Cho
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Perri; Tagliafico, Niakhate, Mata, Kumbedi; Tessmann, Matic, Tolisso, Nuamah, Fofana; Lacazette
We say: Nice 1-1 Lyon
Both of these sides will want to win this one, but we feel that it will end in an entertaining draw.
Lyon have plenty of quality in attack, and we think that they are capable of getting a point against a tricky opponent.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Tom Humphrey
