AS Monaco vs Lyon Prediction: Should we expect another defeat for the Monegasques?

Monaco will face Lyon in the centerpiece of Matchday 7 of the French Ligue 1. In the last four years, the Monegasques have twice lost on home soil to the Lions, so can we expect another defeat?

Monaco has had a poor start to the season, winning only two of their six league games and dropping out of the Champions League. In Ligue 1, they share ninth place with Rennes, but it is worth noting that Monaco's schedule has not been easy. They faced PSG, Nice, Rennes, and Lens, and against the European Cup contenders, they did quite well. The club has strengthened in the transfer window.

Monaco beat Nice 1:0 away in the last round of Ligue 1. Almost the entire game, the opponents held the initiative, and the Monegasques could easily have conceded 1:2 goals. In the opening match of the Europa League, Monaco's lead over Crvena Zvezda was also minimal (1:0). The only goal of the game came on the penalty spot before Mohamed Camara seized on it. The Monegasque side could have conceded at the start of the game, but they did not make any severe defensive mistakes.

The Lions have made an impressive start to the championship, with four wins in 5 rounds. The unbeaten streak was interrupted in this week's rescheduled match against Lorient (1:3). In the 1st half, they created problems on the spot. Lyon conceded the first goal from a penalty, and the opponents capitalized on a significant defensive error by the Lions. In between, Alexandre Lacazette scored, but Lyon didn't create any chances after that.

The Lions are second in Ligue 1 in terms of xG, and there was certainly no problem with creativity in attack. Lyon has been successful without Houssem Aouar, who has only played one game so far in the current league. Corentin Tolisso hasn't scored a single point. His place in the starting line-up is highly questionable. There are no particular complaints about the strikers: Lacazette, Tete, and Ekambi have combined for 11 goals and four assists.

Monaco has managed to break their unbeaten streak, but there are still questions about their play. The Monegasque defense is far from perfect, as evidenced by last week's game against Nice and the European Cup encounter with Red Star. Lyon is far from perfect at home, and Monaco will be the Lions' biggest test this season, previously having failed to take on any of the top-10 sides in Ligue 1.

The last meeting between Monaco and Lyon was spectacular, and the Lions failed to score, although they had 19 shots on goal. The Monegasques look good in games against solid teams, and even away against PSG, they could score 2-3 goals. Lyon is at their best in attack, with Lacazette, Ekambi, and Tete all bound to have chances. There's a reason why the bookmakers have very low odds on the totals, and we have to take advantage of that.

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