Lyon will hope to recover from a disastrous week when they return to the Groupama Stadium to face mid-table Rennes in Ligue 1 on Saturday night.
Things got even worse for Paulo Fonseca's men after their European collapse, as they were beaten in the Derby Rhone-Alpes last weekend, scuppering their hopes of Champions League football.
Match preview
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A dismal pair of results over the past week have threatened to derail Lyon's season, as they saw their European campaign come to an end in utterly astonishing circumstances at Old Trafford last Thursday.
Three goals in the dying minutes of extra time saw Lyon go from 6-4 up to lose 7-6 on aggregate to Manchester United, and the after-effects of that defeat were on show as they limped to a 2-1 defeat to rivals Saint-Etienne last time out.
Fonseca's men were unable to recover after going 2-0 down shortly after the interval, with a defeat to the club in 17th meaning they were unable to move into the top four.
The fixtures only get tougher on paper too, as they now must face a resurgent Rennes side, a Lens outfit still hoping for an outside shot at breaking into the top seven, and Monaco, who look certain to finish in the top four.
Lyon are one of three clubs tied on 51 points just outside the top four, but they are still within touching distance of Lille in fourth, starting the weekend just two points back, but they will play last out of those three sides level on points, so the pressure could be ramped up even more ahead of kick off.
A noticeable improvement will be required from the performance OL put in against Rennes in the reverse fixture, when they were beaten 3-0 at Roazhon Park on the opening day of the campaign, but the hosts also struggled in this fixture last season, losing 3-2 at the Groupama after going 3-0 down at the interval.
Rennes have been safe from relegation for quite some time now, but that has not seen them put their feet up, with Habib Beye's men seemingly adamant on finishing as high as they possibly can to forget about the disastrous first half of the campaign they endured.
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The Red and Blacks are now 11 points clear of the relegation zone, but despite sitting 10th ahead of the weekend, they are still a whopping 13 points adrift of the European positions.
That is despite seven wins from 11 games since Beye took over amid huge spending late on in the January transfer window, in a desperate push to move away from trouble.
It has clearly worked, but they had to rely on an academy graduate to bail them out at home to 10-man Nantes last weekend, as 17-year-old Mohamed Kader Meite scored the late winner to add another three points on the board which moved them up another place in the table.
The gap to the top half is at six points with just four games remaining, but this Rennes squad look on course to avoid being the first to finish outside the top 10 in 11 years.
Beye's side have some tough fixtures ahead, though, to finish the campaign, because after this trip to Lyon, they also have to face Nice and Marseille, so points could be at a premium in the coming weeks.
Team News
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Lyon will be sweating over the fitness of Corentin Tolisso, who was forced off before the half-hour mark last weekend and could join Ernest Nuamah on the treatment table.
There was a bizarre scenario involving Tolisso's replacement Paul Akouokou, who came on and played the final 20 minutes of the first half, but performed so poorly he was then subbed off by Fonseca at the interval.
Nemanja Matic could return from a minor hip issue to come in if Tolisso is absent, while goalkeeper Lucas Perri should also be back after he travelled to Brazil last weekend to witness the birth of his child, missing the defeat to Saint-Etienne as a result.
Despite his heroics last time out and becoming the third-youngest scorer in the club's history, it is unlikely Rennes teenager Meite will start here, given the amount of attacking talent in the ranks, especially now that Ludovic Blas has returned from a four-game layoff.
After being the centre of some transfer interest in January, there could be scouts in the crowd watching left-back Adrien Truffert here, after he put in a man-of-the-match performance against Nantes last weekend, registering a goal and an assist.
Rennes' only injury concerns come in defence, with Alidu Seidu and Mikayil Faye both sidelined at present.
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lucas Perri; Maitland-Niles, Mata, Niakhate, Tagliafico; Veretout, Tessmann; Cherki, Almada, Fofana; Mikautadze
Rennes possible starting lineup:
Samba; Jacquet, Rouault, Brassier; Assignon, Matusiwa, Cisse, Fofana, Truffert; Tamari, Kalimuendo
We say: Lyon 1-1 Rennes
The psychological effect of the defeat at Man United could still be getting the better of some Lyon players, and while Fonseca should revert to a stronger XI for this clash compared to the one he named against Saint-Etienne, it may not be plain sailing.
Rennes enter the fixture on the back of consecutive victories, with their eyes now set on breaking into the top half, and they will cause the hosts a few problems in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
