Monaco vs Lyon Prediction: More away day pain for Les Gones

Friday night football in Ligue 1 comes from the Stade Louis II this week, as Monaco welcome Lyon to the principality (KO, 20:00).

The clubs arrive into this one at opposite ends of the division; Monaco are third and just six points behind league leaders PSG, while Lyon are bottom and 20 points behind their next opponents heading into Friday.

However, a 3-0 win over Toulouse under interim boss Pierre Sage last weekend has sparked some life into a side that appeared to be staring into the abyss after three consecutive defeats.

Team News

Brazilian defender Vanderson had an eventful game for Monaco last weekend, scoring the opener in their 2-1 win before picking up two yellow cards which saw the referee produce a red, which sees him banned for Friday’s clash. Alexsandr Golovin will also miss out through suspension.

Depending on the formation Adi Hutter decides to go with, Krepin Diatta or Guillermo Maripan look the likeliest to replace Vanderson.

After a first win since November 12, Lyon may decide to keep faith with their starting XI, with Alexandre Lacazette looking to build on his hat-trick against Toulouse.

Match Odds

Monaco are strongly fancied at odds of 8/13 to win and keep Lyon rooted to the bottom of Ligue 1, with a shock win for the visitors priced at 18/5. There hasn’t been a stalemate in the last 16 meetings between these sides, but it’s 10/3 if you’re backing that run to end.

Both teams to score on Friday is 1/2 and it’s 7/1 for a repeat of the 2-1 scoreline in Monaco’s favour in the corresponding fixture last season.

Monaco to score in both halves @ 21/20

Monaco have scored in both halves of a game on 11 occasions this term, the joint-best record in Ligue 1 alongside Paris Saint-Germain. Six of those have been at the Stade Louis II – a 1-0 defeat to Nice there in September is the only time they have failed to score in both halves, and even that game saw Folarin Balogun fail to convert a penalty either side of half-time.

Lyon, meanwhile, have conceded 27 times in the league – only Lorient (29) have shipped more. They’ve also conceded in both halves of a game five times this season, including three of their last four away from home.

Monaco to win to nil @ 12/5

The home side have won six of their seven Ligue 1 games at home this season, with the only blemish on their record a 1-0 defeat to Nice, who were league leaders at the time.

Monaco have conceded just four goals and kept four clean sheets – including in their last two – at their own stadium, so they’re a difficult side to break down for visiting teams.

Only Rennes and Lorient (both three) have collected fewer points on their travels than Lyon (four), and Les Gones have failed to find the net in four of their seven away matches.

A 3-0 win last time out might have perked them up but that was at home against a side just above the relegation zone, and a trip to Monaco is a much more daunting prospect.

Check out the rest of our Football Betting Tips here.