Nice vs Lyon prediction: FRANCE: Ligue 1 betting tips on match 2023-08-26 18:45.
Sunday’s Ligue 1 action draws to a close on the French Riviera as new Nice boss Francesco Farioli bids to get his first win on the board after a pair of frustrating 1-1 draws to open their league season. The Eaglets actually began last season in identical fashion, although they’ll hope to register their first win a little earlier than matchday five as they did in 2022/23, yet they’ve not started a top-flight season with three straight draws since 1971/72!
The club have been frustrated by the delay and potential collapse of a deal for Lucas Digne, and they could be dealt another blow with defender Jean-Clair Todibo reportedly set to depart. Speculation aside, with just two defeats from their last 16 home league games (W7, D7), confidence should be high they can post a positive result against a Lyon side who lost 3-1 here in their final league game of last season.
That defeat here has been followed up with a pair of losses to begin Lyon’s season, with their 4-1 reverse against Montpellier last weekend cementing their worst start to a top-flight campaign since 1966/67. The pressure on boss Laurent Blanc is clearly coming to the boil, with the disparaged chief incredibly calling for the board to “change the manager” to improve Lyon’s form during his post-match media duties.
Never before have Lyon begun a top-flight campaign with three straight defeats, so they’ll be hoping to avoid such a fate here as they look to keep up with the early pace in their hunt for a return to Europe. Not since January has any host side kept Lyon from scoring, yet they’ve led for just three minutes across their last three away league games (L3), often popping up with a mere consolation goal with the damage already done.
Players to watch: Terem Moffi announced his arrival at Nice with an assist in the opening round and he’ll hope to make his mark yet again after ending last season by putting his side 3-0 up before half-time against Lyon. Jeffinho was Lyon’s sole scorer on that day, and the scoring onus may fall on his lap yet again after captain Alexandre Lacazette’s straight red card in the last round.
Hot streak: Each of the last five Nice-held H2Hs saw both teams score with over 2.5 match goals (Nice: W3, L2).