Lyon will be hoping they can end a run of three Ligue 1 games without a win when they welcome relegation candidates Metz to the Parc Olympique Lyonnais on Wednesday night.
Les Gones have only lost one of their 11 home matches across all competitions this season, while the Maroons have won only two of their last 10 games on the road.
Match preview
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Yet another French game was marred by crowd trouble last weekend, as Lyon's Coupe de France third-round tie away at Paris FC was suspended.
Fights broke out and flares were thrown by supporters in the stands before they spilled onto the pitch, which forced the officials to call the game off with the score 1-1 at half time.
These unsavoury scenes come after Lyon were deducted one point in Ligue 1 following the abandonment of their home game against Marseille last month, which saw Dimitri Payet hit on the head with a bottle thrown from the crowd.
Lyon will now prepare for their next fixture at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, which will be played behind closed doors, against a Metz side who beat them 1-0 on home soil last season.
Interestingly, in their 19 home league matches in 2021, that defeat in January against the Maroons is the only time they have failed to score.
Peter Bosz's men have struggled in the French top flight this season, winning only six of their 17 league games. Les Gones currently sit 13th in the table, eight points behind Rennes in third, who occupy the final Champions League qualification spot.
Victory on Wednesday would be Lyon's first on home soil since October and could see them climb as high as seventh in the Ligue 1 standings.
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For the second time in three years, Metz have been eliminated from the third round of the Coupe de France by lower league opposition, as they were beaten 5-4 on penalties by fourth tier outfit Bergerac Perigord following a goalless draw in 90 minutes.
Elimination at this stage of the competition will have disappointed head coach Frederic Antonetti; however, his side can now concentrate on arguably a more concerning matter at hand, attempting to avoid relegation from Ligue 1.
Metz have won two of their last four top-flight games, including an impressive 4-1 victory at home against Lorient in their most recent league fixture. The Maroons may have just three victories to boast after 18 matches but they are now only one point adrift of safety.
Antonetti's men, however, travel to the Parc Olympique Lyonnais having won only two of their last 10 away league games, conceding 21 goals in the process.
Securing all three points on Wednesday could see Metz climb out of the bottom three for the first time since mid-September.
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Team News
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Lyon will be without centre-backs Jason Denayer and Sinaly Diomande due to ankle injuries, while Jeff Reine-Adelaide and Lenny Pintor are both suffering with ACL problems.
Les Gones will, however, be boosted by the return of top scorer and top assister Lucas Paqueta, who has served his one-match suspension and will be in contention to start ahead of either Xherdan Shaqiri or Karl Toko Ekambi.
Moussa Dembele could lead the line for the third successive game, while right-back Leo Dubois will be hoping to start his first game in over a month ahead of Malo Gusto.
As for Metz, Pape Sarr and Vincent Pajot will both serve a one-match suspension, following an accumulation of yellow cards, so Boubacar Traore could partner Habib Maiga in the middle of the pitch on Wednesday.
Matthieu Udol (ACL) and Manuel Cabit (leg) are both ruled out for the rest of the season and Kevin N'Doram (broken foot) is sidelined until February; however, centre-back Jemerson is back from serving a one-game ban and will be in contention to start.
Right wing-back Fabien Centonze, who is the club's joint-top goalscorer this season (4) along with Nicolas De Preville, is expected to start once again, with Thomas Delaine to operate on the opposite flank.
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lopes; Dubois, Boateng, Da Silva, Emerson; Caqueret, Guimaraes; Paqueta, Aouar, Ekambi; Dembele
Metz possible starting lineup:
Oukidja; Jemerson, Kouyate, Bronn; Centonze, Maiga, Traore, Delaine; De Preville, Boulaya; Niane
We say: Lyon 2-0 Metz
Despite causing a surprise upset in this fixture last season, Metz will be the underdogs heading to the Parc Olympique Lyonnais and could be in for a difficult challenge against a Lyon side desperate to turn their domestic fortunes around.
The absences of Sarr and Pajot in midfield will likely be felt by the visitors, while the return of Paqueta is a boost for the hosts, who should possess enough quality in their side to secure a routine win on Wednesday.
Top tip
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 74.35%. A draw had a probability of 16.2% and a win for Metz had a probability of 9.42%.
The most likely scoreline for a Lyon win was 2-0 with a probability of 12.77%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (10.72%) and 3-0 (10.13%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (7.72%), while for a Metz win it was 0-1 (3.24%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 7.7% likelihood.
