With the Ligue 1 winter break less than a week, this weekend sees the penultimate round of fixtures and the pick of the games sees the two former title rivals battling it out. Lyon host Marseille in a game that would have had a major impact on what happened at the top of the table. Both teams are in the top four level on points with Lyon ahead in 3^rd with a superior goal difference.

STATS

• Lyon will need to pick up their form if they want to compete with Monaco and PSG at the top of the league as they have won three of their last five games in the league while being dumped out of the Coupe de la Ligue by Montpellier. They made hard work of overcoming Amiens in their last match and only got all three points with a 94^th-minute winner from Houssem Aouar.
• Marseille had a slow start but are now in full flow and they are unbeaten in 12 league games. However, this run has consisted of five draws and with three wins in their last five games, they need to start turning one point into three. They cruised past St Etienne in their last match as Valère Germain scored a brace in a 3-0 win.
• Lyon have two players inside the top four scorers in Ligue 1 this season as Mariano has scored 12 and Nabil Fekir has 11, only Edinson Cavani and Falcao have more top-flight goals.
• Florin Thauvin is having a great season and with 8 goals and 7 assists, he is Marseille's leading scorer and stand-out player.

HEAD TO HEAD

In fixtures between Marseille and Lyon in recent years, we have struggled to find a winner on several occasions. In the last six meetings in all competitions, there have been five draws with the win coming in the most recent league match. Two goals from Alexandre Lacazette handed Lyon the three points in a 3-1 win. There have been two goalless draws in the last five in the league with the other three seeing goals from both sides.

LYON NEWS

With a game-in-hand over Monaco, who are second, Lyon can go level on points with them if they beat Marseille. A win by three or more goals would take Lyon second. Their only absence is Bertrand Traore who is out with a twisted knee.

Latest matches: Olympique Lyon

13.12.2017	Coup	Montpellier HSC	Olympique Lyon	4:1	L
10.12.2017	Ligu	SC Amiens	Olympique Lyon	1:2	W
07.12.2017	UEFA	Atalanta Bergamasca	Olympique Lyon	1:0	L
03.12.2017	Ligu	SM Caen	Olympique Lyon	1:2	W
29.11.2017	Ligu	Olympique Lyon	Lille OSC	1:2	L

MARSEILLE NEWS

Marseille can also go level on points with Monaco with a win but they can’t overtake the champions due to their inferior goal difference. Their absences include Boubacar Kamara who has a sprained ankle and Gregory Sertic, who will miss out with a knee problem.

Latest matches: Olympique Marseille

13.12.2017	Coup	Stade Rennes	Olympique Marseille	6:5	L
10.12.2017	Ligu	Olympique Marseille	AS Saint Etienne	3:0	W
07.12.2017	UEFA	Olympique Marseille	RB Salzburg	0:0	D
03.12.2017	Ligu	Montpellier HSC	Olympique Marseille	1:1	D
29.11.2017	Ligu	FC Metz	Olympique Marseille	0:3	W

SUMMARY

While this game has lost its edge as Monaco and PSG have taken over as the two French giants, there is still a lot on the line. Both sides will go into the match confident of taking all three points and Lyon are very slight favourites purely because of their home advantage. A draw is a real possibility but I think either side could nick it with a single goal, it won’t be a game that’s full of goals.