Lyon – Lorient: Lyon with their backs to the wall for Europe 
This Sunday, the Groupama Stadium is set for a tense one. Lyon host Lorient and they badly need a result. Sitting sixth, their cushion has all but evaporated. Lorient arrive with no real pressure, but they’d love nothing more than to wreck Lyon’s day. For both clubs, this 29th round of Ligue 1 feels like a crossroads.
Lyon in a full-blown confidence crisis 
Let’s not kid ourselves: things have been grim in Lyon for weeks. Paulo Fonseca’s side have forgotten how to win, and they’re now six league games without a victory. Worse still, the goals have dried up. Just one scored in their last four outings. Lyon need to stop the rot, fast, or they’ll lose the lot.
At home, they’ve struggled to impose themselves and recently threw away valuable points against Monaco. To avoid another embarrassing slip, Lyon will need some bite. Their defence has a nasty habit of leaking at the worst possible moments, and they can’t afford that kind of generosity anymore. Time for the forwards to wake up and start putting chances away, because this crowd won’t keep swallowing this for much longer.
Lorient, the Merlus are sailing in calmer waters 
On the Brittany coast, Lorient come into the run-in with a fair bit of calm. They’re now mathematically safe from the drop and sit in a respectable ninth place. Olivier Pantaloni’s side have nothing to fear and could even finish with a club points record if they end strongly. That said, their away form has been patchy lately and they’re still looking for a spark on the road.
With Lyon likely to pile on the pressure, Lorient will probably have to dig in and wait for their moment. They know Lyon are shaky, and they’ll fancy taking advantage. The plan is simple: stay compact and try to nick it on the break. Lorient have pulled off a few decent results at the Groupama Stadium before, and they’ll be hoping to do it again on Sunday to pile even more misery on Lyon.
Likely line-ups
Lyon : Grief ; Maitland-Niles, Mata, Niakhate, Abner ; Tessmann, Morton ; Karabec, Tolisso, Moreira ; Endrick
Lorient : Mvogo ; Meite, Talbi, Faye ; Le Bris, Cadiou, Avom, Sanusi, Makengo, Pagis ; Dieng
Football prediction Lyon vs Lorient
Lyon win
This one is first and foremost about mentality.
Lyon are on a slippery slope, but they still have far better players than Lorient. For all the doubt hanging over them, a home game against a side with little left to play for is exactly the kind of fixture Lyon need to get themselves going again. They have to win to rescue their European season, and the noise inside the Groupama Stadium should drag the Gones over the line. Expect a tight game, with Lyon eventually forcing the issue, even if Lorient make them work for every inch.
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