Ligue 1 
Lyon will be looking to continue their push for European football in Ligue 1 on Sunday afternoon when Montpellier make the trip to the Groupama Stadium.
OL go into the weekend in seventh position, following a strong month in April seeing them boost their chances of attaining a European spot. With just five games remaining in France’s top tier, the 16-point gap to the top three and Champions League football is an impossibility. However, Lyon will be hopeful of catching up to a Lille and Monaco who currently occupy UEFA Conference League and Europa League places, respectively. Lille are six points away in fifth and Monaco are an eight-point jump up in fourth.
Montpellier head into Sunday’s 16:05 pm kick-off without the weight of any pressure, sitting comfortably in mid-table. The southern France outfit are 12th in the standings, with an 11-point cushion to the bottom four meaning that their Ligue 1 status will surely be secured as the curtain begins to come down on another season in France’s top division.
Sunday’s hosts have struggled to mount a strong challenge for European football for most of the season, seeing them set to miss out on UCL football yet again. Lyon have managed a bit of a resurgence in April, winning four of their last five league games.
The month started with a surprise 1-0 win away to leaders PSG, followed up with victories over Rennes and Toulouse. Laurent Blanc’s side then suffered a 2-1 defeat in the Derby des Olympiques, with Marseille picking up an away win two weeks ago, but Lyon were able to bounce back with a win last weekend away to a Strasbourg side fighting to stay in the division. Former Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Sanson put the hosts in front early on before goals from defender Castello Lukeba and midfielder Maxence Caqueret turned the tie before half-time. Despite a late Lukeba red card, Lyon were able to hold on and take all three points.
Montpellier are also in great form ahead of the trip to Lyon after impressive back-to-back wins in the league. Despite Teji Savanier’s red card early in the second half, Arsenal academy graduate Stephy Mavididi scored the only goal of the game as Montpellier claimed the win over a strong fifth-place Rennes side who themselves are fighting for a place in Europe. Michel Der Zakarian’s side went one step better with a massive result last time out away to another team in the battle for European football, beating fourth-place Monaco 4-0.
