Lyon vs Lille Predictions

• Lyon have won three of their lats four home league games
• Lille have lost three of their last four away Ligue assignments
• Georges Mikautadze has scored eight goals in his last five appearances for club and country

Lyon can bounce back against Lille

Lyon can take a big step towards Champions League qualification by edging out fellow contenders Lille at Groupama Stadium on Saturday. Les Gones lie in seventh after their surprise defeat to Strasbourg last weekend, but they are only four points adrift of Marseille in third can jump back into the top five with a win over Les Dogues.

Paulo Fonseca’s side can have few complaints about last Friday’s defeat in the Grand Est. Strasbourg were stronger, fitter and more clinical than Lyon and are now emerging as the surprise package in France.

Only Thiago Almada was absent from their strongest side and he came on with 20 minutes to go at 2-1 down in a bid to salvage something, but they conceded two more before Georges Mikautadze’s late consolation.

Mikautadze is the main hope for Lyon now

Fonseca could have done with the sort of stirring contribution Maliuck Fofana made when he came off the bench to turn their previous home match on its head, but he is injured. In times gone by, Lyon would look to Alexandre Lacazette when they needed a goal, but now it is Mikautadze.

The Georgian is in the midst of a purple patch and looks the likeliest player to get on the scoresheet on Saturday. Lille’s Jonathan David has failed to score in his last two Ligue appearances and now has only three goals in his last 11.

But Les Dogues have other players capable of magic and Lyon’s defence, which has shipped six goals in their last two games, cannot be trusted to keep a clean sheet. Back Lyon to edge this one thanks to Mikautadze’s marksmanship and both teams to score because the visitors remain untrustworthy on the road, where they have lost three of their last four.