One of the top home sides in Ligue 1 have a chance to extend their domestic unbeaten run at Stade Louis II to nine games as Monaco play host to Lyon on Saturday.

Les Monegasques are eighth in the table, but only a point behind Lyon for seventh, while only two points separate them from Strasbourg for fourth.

Match preview

Monaco surprised many people back in December with the sacking of manager Niko Kovac, despite the team losing only once in November and December, while also advancing into the knockout stage of the Europa League.

Under former Club Brugge coach Philippe Clement, the team have had a mixture of solid and disappointing results, beginning the 2022 with a 0-0 draw to Nantes, before a scintillating 4-0 victory over Clermont, and most recently erasing a 2-0 deficit, only to concede a 91st-minute winner to Stephy Mavididi and Montpellier in a 3-2 defeat.

Clement has adopted numerous systems during his managerial career, but one philosophy that has always remained consistent with the Belgian is having a side that can dominate, while also showing commitment, envy, and playing offensive-minded.

Since arriving in the Principality he has put an emphasis on the ability to adapt to the qualities of the players he has, and it seems as though in his early days with the club, the Belgian been able to bring out a lot that was missing from some of their most prominent talents.

Since being shut out in their opening fixture this year, this side have shown the kind of quality we all expected from them at the start of the new season, scoring 10 goals in their last three matches in all competitions.

The club has made no secret that they want to be taking part in European competitions consistently, and unfortunately, throughout this campaign, consistency has been an issue as they have not won consecutive Ligue 1 fixtures since November while failing to win more than three straight games domestically all season, and as a result they find themselves on the outside when it comes to a place in European competition.

Lately, one has been the magical number for Olympique Lyonnais, who have scored a single goal in four consecutive French league encounters, winning their last two by a 1-0 score.

For a side who enjoy playing quick, attacking football, moving the ball around rapidly, they have improved defensively, collecting back-to-back clean sheets in the league for the first time this season under Dutch manager Peter Bosz.

Their splendid form in the Europa League last year, where they topped their group with five wins and a draw, appears to have helped their confidence in league play, as they are unbeaten in their last six domestic encounters.

The club was highly active over the final few days of the transfer window, unloading several players, and at the same time, making some big signings in the hopes of bolstering a midfield that has struggled with its creativity.

Les Gones have been fast out of the gate in recent matches, scoring in the first half in each of their previous three fixtures, two of which came in the opening 20 minutes, but they have had difficulty putting teams away, and that has led to some tense final moments for their fans of late.

It is worth noting that they do have many players out injured or on international duty, and it seems like they may need a few of them down the stretch run of this season as they hope to finish in the top four.

Team News

Wissam Ben Yedder, who leads Ligue 1 in goals with 13, has been on a tear of late, scoring five goals in his last three games in all competitions, including a brace in a 4-2 win over Lens at the Coupe de France on Sunday, while Caio Henrique is tied with Kevin Volland for the team lead in assists with five, notching one on Sunday and Sofiane Diop has two goals and two assists in his last four home fixtures in Ligue 1.

Benoit Badiashile, Myron Boadu and Djibril Sidibe are still recovering from hamstring problems, Cesc Fabregas remains out due to illness and Krepin Diatta is likely gone for the season with an ACL injury, while the club loaned striker Pietro Pellegri to Torino in Serie A, after briefly returning from a spell at AC Milan.

Aleksandr Golovin, who has missed his share of action this season due to injury, came on as a substitute versus Lens on Sunday, replacing Diop for the final 25 minutes, while fans were relieved to know star midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni will be with the club for the remainder of the campaign but is reportedly being hotly pursued by several clubs in Spain and the Premier League.

Lyon will not have Damien Da Silva available after he was cautioned in their victory (1-0) over Saint-Etienne, Houssem Aouar has a thigh injury, Jason Denayer is recovering from a sore ankle, Lenny Pintor and Jeff Reine-Adelaide have ACL problems, Karl Toko Ekambi is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon and their new signing Romain Faivre is questionable with a groin strain.

Midfielder Bruno Guimaraes signed with Newcastle United for over £33 million, Florent Da Silva was loaned to Villefranche in the French third division, Reo Griffiths signed with Doncaster in England and Tanguy Ndombele is back with Lyon, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur.

They have relied a lot on the brilliance of goalkeeper Anthony Lopes, who leads the league in saves with 71, while Moussa Dembele has goals in each of their last two games, both of them coming from the penalty spot.

Monaco possible starting lineup:
Nubel; C. Henrique, Mariapan, Diassi, Vanderson; Tchouameni; Diop Fofana, Golovin, Volland, Ben Yedder

Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lopes; Gusto, Emerson, Denayer, Lukeba; Dubois, Cherki, Caqueret; Paqueta, Ndombele; Dembele

We say: Monaco 3-1 Lyon

Monaco have come out very aggressively and have been lethal in the final third, and we expect them to continue their strong play at home with a striker in Ben Yedder who is in fine form, while on the opposite side, the absence of Ekambi has been sorely missed for a team that needs to find alternative sources to score.

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