Ligue 1 gets back underway after the international break when in-form Champions League hopefuls Strasbourg and Lyon go head-to-head at the Stade de la Meinau on Friday night.
With Monaco, Nice and Lille flattering to deceive, these two clubs are best placed to make a late surge for the top four with eight matches remaining.
Match preview
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Only champions-elect Paris Saint-Germain can lay claim to being in better form than Strasbourg in Ligue 1 at present, with the last 12 matches yielding a very impressive 29 points for Liam Rosenior's side.
Even though PSG may be stealing their thunder slightly, the Alsace club remain one of the most in-form sides across Europe, and it has been built on solid defensive foundations.
After five straight clean sheets, Strasbourg would have been slightly disappointed at conceding a consolation goal late on in their win over Toulouse shortly before the international break.
Nevertheless, Strasbourg have only conceded six goals since the start of December, which is four fewer than any other club in Europe's top-five leagues, and another clean sheet will see them go unbeaten in seven straight Ligue 1 home games for just the second time this century.
This run of form has moved Rosenior's side up from mid-table obscurity to very real Champions League contenders, because after taking only 14 points from their opening 14 games, they are now seventh, four points adrift of fourth.
Out of the nine wins they have enjoyed across the last 12 matches, only two have come against sides currently in the top half though, and while you can only beat what is in front of you, there are still question marks about whether they can compete against the very best in France.
Four of the current top five await in their final eight games, starting with Lyon this weekend, and while they found themselves in a commanding position in the reverse fixture, leading 3-1 at the Groupama, they would go on to lose 4-3.
A five-game winless run at home to Lyon was arrested last season, but that came all the way back on the opening day, and the hosts could become the first team to suffer 50 defeat against OL in Ligue 1 history here.
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Lyon frequently enjoy success against their upcoming opponents, having scored in their previous 28 league meetings - the longest run any club has managed over another in more than 50 years.
Despite manager Paulo Fonseca being slapped with a nine-month touchline ban for his conduct towards a match official at the start of the month, the performances on the pitch have not suffered.
The game in question that saw the incident which led to the ban still ended victoriously against Brest, and Lyon have gone on to win the following four matches as well, home and away against FCSB in the Europa League, winning 7-1 on aggregate, as well away to Nice and at home to Le Havre, scoring another six in the process.
With seven wins in their last eight across all competitions, PSG are the only team to have stopped them in their tracks of late, and that has moved them up into fifth, just two points shy of the Champions League places.
Team News
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Dilane Bakwa will be available once again for Strasbourg after he served a suspension in the win over Toulouse, and he was busy during the international break, representing France's Under-21s.
There are a few injury concerns that remain though, as Habib Diarra, Andrew Omobamidele, Abdoul Ouattara and Dion Sahi are set to be sidelined again.
Chelsea loanee Andrey Santos has been in superb form this season, scoring in eight separate Ligue 1 matches from midfield so far, with seven ending in victory, but the one exception was the 4-3 defeat to Lyon in the reverse.
Lyon will be without defender Sael Kumbedi who is suspended here, while young prodigy Malick Fofana pulled out of the Belgium squad last week and remains doubtful.
Georges Mikautadze was present for Georgia though, and continued his sensational recent form which has seen him score seven goals and register five assists in his last 245 minutes of action.
Rayan Cherki took most of the headlines during the break though with a scintillating performance against England Under-21s, scoring and providing two assists, adding to his 13 goal involvements across his last nine Lyon appearances.
Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Petrovic; Doue, Sarr, Doukoure, Barco; Andrey Santos, Lemarechal; Bakwa, Nanasi, Diego Moreira; Emegha
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lucas Perri; Maitland-Niles, Clinton Mata, Niakhate, Tagliafico; Matic, Tolisso; Almada, Cherki, Mikautadze; Lacazette
We say: Strasbourg 1-1 Lyon
Victory for Lyon would see them win four in a row in Ligue 1 for the first time this season, and set them up perfectly for a huge week which will see them face Lille and Manchester United, but very few have taken three points off Strasbourg recently.
Rosenior's side are among the best in Europe in 2025, with the fewest goals conceded in Europe's top-five leagues since December, and a solid defence could frustrate the visitors in what should be a closely-fought affair.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
