Lyon host struggling Monaco with both sides needing the points

Lyon and Monaco have had very different seasons to date, but meet on Sunday needing the three points for equally important reasons.

PSG are running away with the Ligue 1 title, but the race for the Champions League places is intensifying.

Heading into the weekend, Lille sit in the automatic Champions League spot behind the champions-elect, but have played a game more than Montpellier in third place — the Champions League playoff spot — and Lyon in fourth, the Europa League place.

Lyon have been incredibly impressive in the Champions League this season, including beating Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, and as ever, their primary objective is to get back into Europe’s elite.

Monaco, Champions League semifinalists just two seasons ago, have no chance of reaching the competition next year; their only objective under Thierry Henry is to remain in the division having had a disastrous start to the season.

They have only won three times so far this campaign, including last weekend against Amiens.

Key battles

Radamel Falcao is Monaco’s main source of goals and has seven in 14 appearances in Ligue 1 this season. If Lyon defenders Jason Denayer, Marcelo and Jeremy Morel can keep him quiet, they will consider their chances of winning to be greatly improved.

Falcao has scored more than 40 percent of Monaco’s goals this season, so he is the clear danger.

Youri Tielemens will face Tanguy Ndombele and Houssem Aouar, two Lyon players who Europe’s elite clubs are keeping tabs on, and will have his work cut out with those two alongside Youssef Ait Bennasser.

Lyon will expect to see the majority of the ball, so Tielemens and Bennasser will need to be switched on defensively for the entirety of the game.

Benjamin Henrichs will need to tuck in and keep his eye on the wandering Memphis Depay and Nabil Fekir, and he will be vital in helping out Kamil Glik in the centre of the Monaco defense.

Previous meetings

All three meetings between the pair last season — two in the league and one in the French cup — finished 3-2, with Lyon the victors in two of those matches and Monaco winning the other.

Over the last three years, goals have been guaranteed in matches both in Lyon and in Monaco with both sides scoring at least once in each of the last seven matchups.

The biggest margin of victory in recent times was Lyon’s 6-1 win back in May 2016 when Alexandre Lacazette scored a hat-trick.

There has not been a draw in this fixture since May 2015, which was actually the third consecutive draw in all competitions between the sides at the time.

Whatever the result here, the three points on offer would be extremely valuable to either of the teams.