Monaco can temporarily move into second place in Ligue 1 on Friday when they welcome Lyon to Stade Louis II on matchday 16 of the domestic campaign.
Last Saturday, Les Monegasques won a second successive encounter, 2-1 over Rennes, putting them within two points of Nice, while Olympique Lyonnais remain dead-last in the table despite a 3-0 triumph versus Toulouse.
Match preview
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A difficult end to November has been forgotten in the Principality, with Monaco boasting a 100% record this month after entering December on a two-match winless run.
Adi Hutter has guided this club to 30 points after 15 Ligue 1 matchdays, the fourth time Les Rouge et Blanc have reached or bettered that mark at this same stage of a domestic campaign this century.
It could be a good omen for them, as the previous three times Monaco had reached or eclipsed 30 points in 15 domestic affairs, they wound up in a top-three position by the end of the campaign, while the last time that happened in 2016-17 (33 points), Les Monegasques won the league.
Dating back to December 20, 2020, Monaco have suffered just one defeat in their last nine Ligue 1 December fixtures (2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021), while winning on seven occasions.
Throughout the current campaign, Les Monegasques have been particularly sharp on home soil, winning six of their seven contests at Stade Louis II, outscoring their opponents 15-4.
At times this season, Les Monegasques have looked vulnerable defensively in the latter stages of a match, conceding on four separate occasions domestically in the 90th minute or beyond.
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For the first time in weeks, there was some positivity at Lyon, as the former seven-time Ligue 1 champions claimed a comprehensive victory last weekend, their first at home this season.
It was also the first triumph for interim manager Pierre Sage, who is the third man to coach this team already this season, following the sacking of Laurent Blanc in September, while Fabio Grosso was on the job for just over two months.
While three points were badly needed last weekend, the job for Sage and his side is far from over, with OL currently on 10 points, two points behind Lorient for a spot in the relegation playoffs and three back of Toulouse and a guaranteed place in the top flight next season.
On Friday, Lyon can defeat a side in the top half of the table for the first time all season, with OL failing to register a single point against any of those teams thus far.
They have conceded a combined six goals in their previous two Ligue 1 contests as the visitors while giving up the second-most goals this season (27).
Les Gones lost their previous two visits at Stade Louis II but had won the two away matches against Monaco before that, scoring three goals in both triumphs.
Team News
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Les Monegasques will be missing a pair of key players in their Friday fixture, with Vanderson having to serve a red-card suspension and Aleksandr Golovin also suspended.
Eliesse Ben Seghir is out with a shoulder strain, while Myron Boadu and Eliot Matazo are a few weeks away from returning after they each sustained muscle injuries.
Before being sent off in the 74th minute against Rennes, Vanderson notched his second goal of the domestic campaign, while Youssouf Fofana collected his first of the season with his side down a man to preserve the victory.
On Friday, Lyon will not have Johann Lepenant available due to a sprained knee, while Remy Riou is dealing with a muscle injury.
A hat-trick by Alexandre Lacazette versus Toulouse was all his side would need to claim all three points, with the Frenchman netting in 100 different Ligue 1 fixtures, the first Lyon player to do so this century, with only Kylian Mbappe (125), Wissam Ben Yedder (118), Bafetimbi Gomis (104), Edinson Cavani (103) and Pauleta (101) doing better.
The last time they faced Monaco domestically, goals from Lacazette, Maxence Caqueret and Rayan Cherki enabled Lyon to triumph 3-1 on home soil.
Monaco possible starting lineup:
Kohn; Singo, Maripan, Zakaria; Diatta, Fofana, Camara, Jakobs; Minamino, Akliouche; Balogun
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lopes; O'Brien, Sarr, Caleta-Car; Mata, Tolisso, Caqueret, Tagliafico; Moreira, Lacazette, Cherki
We say: Monaco 2-0 Lyon
Being without a top chance creator in Golovin will not be easy for the home side, but they are facing an unstable defensive unit that make their share of mistakes at the back.
Outside of Lacazette, there is little consistent quality at Lyon right now, while Les Monegasques are a lot sounder defensively in the Principality.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
