Lyon v Nice: Ligue 1 Matchweek 7 preview, injuries and lineups

Olympique Lyonnais will host OGC Nice at the Groupama Stadium in Matchweek 7 of the Ligue 1 2026-27 season on Monday, 19 October at 12:15 a.m. IST, with Lyon fourth in the table and Nice ninth.

Lyon arrive after a 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace in the UEFA Europa League but lost their most recent Ligue 1 match 2-1 to ten-man RC Lens, with Merah scoring a consolation in the 85th minute. Paulo Fonseca, who previously managed Lille, Milan and Roma, has been in charge of Lyon since last season. When these teams last met in the French top tier at the Groupama Stadium, Lyon won 2-0 courtesy of goals from Corentin Tolisso and Nortey. Nice began the campaign with two draws and two defeats before winning their last two league matches, and Olivier Pantaloni replaced Claude Puel at the start of the season after spells with Lorient and Tours.

Lyon’s recent results in all competitions read W-L-W-W-D, a run that includes the Europa League victory mentioned above and the domestic reverse at Lens. The side will be without Nicolas Tagliafico, Mohamed Ouédraogo and Lois Openda through injury. The projected Lyon XI provided in the preview is: Dominik Greif (GK); Zachary Athekame, Felix Bacher, Justin Kluivert, Abner Vinícius; Mads Bidstrup, Tyler Morton, Corentin Tolisso; Ernest Nuamah, Pavel Šulc, Keito Nakamura.

Nice’s current league position is ninth on eight points after back-to-back wins over Lille and Strasbourg, and their form across all competitions is listed as W-W-L-D-L. The preview notes the club’s incoming midfield reinforcement, describing the player brought in from Girona as intended to add defensive stability. Antoine Mendy, Laurent Abergel and Morgan Sanson are reported injured for Nice. The projected Nice lineup is: Yehvann Diouf (GK); Xavier Mandza, Youssouf Ndayishimiye, Mohamed Abdelmonem; Quentin Merlin, Axel Witsel, Hicham Boudaoui, Jonathan Clauss; Mohamed Amoura, Gauthier Hein; Elye Wahi.

Keito Nakamura’s journey to Lyon is outlined as including spells at Reims, LASK, FC Twente and Gamba Osaka, and the preview describes him as a sharp, inverted wide attacker and clinical half-space finisher who combines sudden changes of pace with 1v1 take-ons. The article identifies Jonathan Clauss as the Nice wide defender who will oppose Nakamura on the left flank. The preview also calls Nakamura a consistent attacking outlet for the Samurai Blue.

The piece profiles Axel Witsel as a Belgian midfielder from Liège who has played for Girona, Atletico Madrid and Benfica before joining Nice, and describes him as a centurion legend for the Belgium national team and part of Belgium’s golden generation. It states Witsel was brought in from Girona to offer defensive stability to Nice’s midfield, that he has been a solid presence in the centre of the park, and that he relies more on positional reading than raw pace; it also says he will be up against Morton and Bidstrup.

The preview concludes with a prediction favouring the hosts, stating that Lyon are expected to win the match based on their squad depth, recent superiority over Nice and home advantage. The article advises fans the game will be staged at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon, France, on Monday, 19 October at 12:15 a.m. IST and can be streamed on Jio Hotstar in India and on Amazon Prime in the UK; it also directs readers to follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or via the Khel Now Android and iOS apps for further updates.