The Matchday 16 clash in Ligue 1 between Lyon and Montpellier will take place on January 4 at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais. Lyon vs. Montpellier: prediction, betting odds, and statistics.
Referee: Jérémy Stinat (France)
Matches – 9 (Ligue 1, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 37;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.1;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 23;
Penalties – 44%.
Predicted lineups for Lyon vs. Montpellier
Lyon (4-3-3): Lucas Perry – Nicolás Tagliafico, Moussa Niakhaté, Clinton Mata, Ainsley Maitland-Niles – Corentin Tolisso, Nemanja Matić, Jordan Veretout – Rayan Cherki, Georges Mikautadze, Ernest Nuamah.
Montpellier (4-2-3-1): Benjamin Lecomte – Issiaga Sylla, Becir Omeragic, Nikola Maksimovic, Enzo Chato Mbiayi – Joris Chotard, Jordan Ferri – Arnaud Nordin, Téji Savanier, Mousa Al-Tamari – Akor Adams.
Each team’s starting lineup is based on their last match in this tournament.
Lyon
In Matchday 15, Pierre Sage's side suffered a 1-3 defeat to PSG. This result ended the team's unbeaten streak of nine matches in the league (6 wins, 3 draws). Lyon is in 5th place in the Ligue 1 standings, with Nice trailing by just one point. Notably, the club has scored 27 goals this season – only three teams in the tournament have better records.
- Lyon scored first in 6 of their last 8 home league matches.
- Both teams scored in 8 of the last 11 home games in this competition.
- The club won 7 of their last 10 home Ligue 1 matches.
Montpellier
In the last round, the club drew 2-2 with Nice. A home win against Brest (3-1) remains their only victory in the last 10 matches in this competition (2 draws, 7 losses). Such disappointing results leave the club at the bottom of the Ligue 1 table, with a four-point gap from the playoff zone. Notably, the team has scored only 3 goals in away matches this season – the worst record among all participants.
- Montpellier has lost their last 7 away league matches.
- The club failed to score in 5 of their last 7 away Ligue 1 games.
- One team failed to score in 5 of Montpellier's last 7 away matches in this competition.
Lyon vs. Montpellier: Match Prediction
Lyon has not struggled offensively in home Ligue 1 matches – the club scored in their last 6 games and netted at least twice in 5 of them. However, their defense is less reliable, having failed to keep a clean sheet in 10 of their last 12 home league matches. As a result, at least three goals have been scored in 7 of Lyon's last 10 home games in this competition.
Montpellier's away matches also entertain fans with plenty of goals – at least three goals were scored in 7 of their last 10 away league games. This scoring trend is primarily due to the club's defensive issues – Montpellier conceded in their last 11 away Ligue 1 matches, with opponents scoring at least twice in 6 of them.
Looking at the head-to-head statistics, at least three goals have been scored in the last 5 encounters between these teams at Lyon's ground in the league. I expect both teams to deliver an entertaining and high-scoring match. My prediction: Total over 2.5 goals
