The Round 17 Ligue 1 match between Monaco and Lyon will take place on 3 january at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille. Monaco vs Lyon: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Monaco
Monaco failed to perform between November and December in the championship, losing 5 of 6 matches. Interestingly, the only victory in the past two months was against PSG (1:0). The team approaches the upcoming game after two away defeats in which it lost 0:1 to Brest and Marseille. Note that in two consecutive Ligue 1 games the home side did not score since April 2023. The new year finds the team in a modest 9th position, and the gap to the Champions League places is already huge – 9 points. In addition, it is worth noting that the last time the team had 7 defeats and a negative goal difference after 16 rounds was in the 2019/20 season.
- The club has not scored more than 1 goal in six previous Ligue 1 matches.
- In the last 16 home league matches Monaco has lost only twice (12 wins and 2 draws).
- At least three goals were scored in 12 of the previous 17 home games for the home side in Ligue 1.
Potential Monaco Lineup (4-2-3-1)
Monaco: Lukash Gradetski – Caio Henrique, Tilo Kehrer, Wanderson de Oliveira, Mohammed Salisu – Denis Zakaria, Lamin Camara – Aleksandr Golovin, Takumi Minamino, Magn Akliush – Folarin Balogun.
Lamin Camara and Krépin Diatta are with their national teams. Midfielder Takumi Minamino is out due to injury. Paul Pogba's participation is doubtful. Midfielder Denis Zakaria will miss the match due to suspension.
Lyon
Lyon finished last year with a home win over Le Havre (1:0). That was the second consecutive home league victory after the win over Nantes, while the club failed to beat anyone in the previous 7 matches (3 draws and 2 defeats). Lyon are in fifth place in the standings, and the gap to the Champions League places is 5 points. It is also worth noting that the club concedes on average 1 goal per game, which is the fourth-best figure in Ligue 1.
- At least one of the teams failed to score in 5 of Lyon's last 6 league matches.
- Lyon cannot win away in five consecutive Ligue 1 matches (3 draws and 2 defeats).
- The club has not scored more than one goal in 8 of the last 10 away league matches.
Potential Lyon Lineup (4-1-2-3)
Lyon: Dominik Greif – Abner Vinícius, Clinton Mata, Moussa Niakhaté, Hans Hatebur – Tyler Morton – Halis Merah, Corentin Tolisso – Pavel Shultz, Afonso Moreira, Martin Satriano.
Defenders Moussa Niakhaté and Clinton Mata are at the Africa Cup of Nations. Midfielder Tanner Tessmann and forwards Ernest Nuamah and Malik Fofana are out due to injuries. The first transfer to note is the loan of striker Endrick from Real Madrid.
Referee
Jérôme Brisard (France)
Matches – 9 (Ligue 1, 2025/26);
Yellow Cards (including second yellows) – 41;
Average Yellow Cards Per Match – 4.6;
Red Cards – 4;
Fouls Average Per Match – 25;
Penalties – 22%.
Monaco vs Lyon: Match Prediction
Monaco honestly had a disastrous end to last year and predictably dropped out of contention for a finish in the Champions League places. Much of this has been due to poor finishing of created chances — in the last six Ligue 1 matches the team has not once managed to score at least two goals. Moreover, even at their own ground the club has been unable to register more than one scoring shot in four straight league matches.
Lyon have one of the best defenses in Ligue 1 and, judging by the form, will not allow the hosts to score more than one goal. It is noteworthy that this happened in four of Lyon's previous league matches. At the same time, in the last three away Ligue 1 matches the club conceded only 1 goal. Therefore, taking all of the above into account, we suggest the following prediction.
Prediction: Monaco Under 1.5 goals
* For each team, the starting lineup is shown from their previous match in this competition.
