The match of matchday 17 of the Ligue 1 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 had a disastrous period from November to December in the championship, losing 5 of 6 matches. Interestingly, the only victory during the last two months came against PSG (1:0). The club arrives at the upcoming meeting after two away defeats, both by the identical score of 0:1 to Brest and Marseille. Notably, the home side failed to score in two consecutive Ligue 1 matches for the first time since April 2023. The new year begins with Monaco in a modest 9th position, and the gap to the Champions League zone is already huge – 9 points. In addition, it is worth adding that the last time Monaco had 7 defeats and a negative goal difference after 16 rounds was in the 2019/20 season.
- The club has not scored more than one goal in six previous Ligue 1 matches.
- In the last 16 home league matches Monaco lost only twice (12 wins and 2 draws).
- At least three goals were scored in 12 of the previous 17 Monaco home games in Ligue 1.
Potential Monaco Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Lukash Gradecki – Caio Henrique, Tilo Kehrer, Wanderson de Oliveira, Mohammed Salisu – Denis Zakaria, Lamine Camara – Aleksandr Golovin, Takumi Minamino, Magn Akliush – Folarin Balogun.
The squad includes midfielders Lamine Camara and Krepenn Diatta who are with their national teams. Midfielder Takumi Minamino is out due to injury. The participation of midfielder Paul Pogba is doubtful. Midfielder Denis Zakaria will miss the match due to suspension.
Lyon
Lyon finished the past year with a home victory over Le Havre (1:0). That was the second consecutive home league win (earlier against Nantes); at the same time, the away side failed to beat anyone in the previous seven matches (3 draws and 2 defeats). Paulo Fonseca’s squad sits in fifth place in the table, and the gap to the Champions League zone is 5 points. It is also worth noting that the club concedes an average of 1 goal per game, which is the fourth-best metric in Ligue 1.
- At least one team failed to score in 5 of Lyon’s last 6 league matches.
- Lyon has not won 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)*
Dominik Greif – Abner Vinicius, Clinton Mata, Moussa Niakhaté, Hans Hatebur – Tyler Morton – Halis Merah, Corentin Tolisso – Pavel Schulz, 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.
Referee
Jérôme Brisard (France)
Matches – 9 (the Ligue 1, 2025/26);
Yellow/Red Cards Shown (including second yellows) – 41;
Average Yellow Cards Per Match – 4.6;
Red Cards Shown – 4;
Fouls Per Match Average – 25;
Penalties – 22%.
Monaco vs Lyon: Match Prediction
Monaco, coached by Sebastien Pocognoli, had a frankly disastrous end to last year and has predictably fallen out of contention for a Champions League finish. Much of this is due to poor finishing of created chances; in the six most recent Ligue 1 matches the team has not once managed to score at least two goals. Moreover, even at home the club has not registered more than one goal in four consecutive league matches.
Lyon has one of the best defenses in Ligue 1 and, apparently, will not allow the hosts to score more than one goal. We also note that this happened in four of Lyon’s previous league matches. Furthermore, in the last three away Ligue 1 games the club conceded only 1 goal. Therefore, considering all of the above, we suggest the following forecast – Monaco Individual Total Under 1.5.
Prediction: Monaco Individual Total Under 1.5
* The starting lineup listed for each team is the one used in its previous match in this competition.
