Le Havre vs Olympique Lyon Prediction: Can Le Havre End Their Losing Streak Against an In-Form Lyon?

The Le Havre vs. Lyon match will take center stage as Ligue 1 action returns on October 20, 2024. Having struggled to move away from 15th place and on a terrible run of form, Le Havre will be seeking to halt a four-game losing streak, while Lyon sits comfortably in 8th place, having mustered four wins in their last five games. Both teams have different motivations going into this game, with Le Havre fighting against slipping further down the table, while Lyon aims at climbing into European qualification spots.

This match is going to be an interesting tactical battle between Didier Digard's Le Havre and Pierre Sage's Lyon, with the latter in far better form. The game is also going to feature the return of Le Havre's defense after the suspension of Étienne Youte Kinkoue, sent off in their last match. With fortunes contrasting, the question lingers if Le Havre can pull off any surprise result or if Lyon will continue in their dominance.

Le Havre AC

Le Havre really needs to win this game as the team enters with four back-to-back losses. The recent one was against Brest wherein they lost 2-0 in a match despite decent possession and corners, failing to create clear-cut chances. The red card given to defender Étienne Youte Kinkoue added to their defensive problems, and they looked quite vulnerable without him. Manager Didier Digard will have to reorganize the team's backline and boost their attacking play if they are to stand a chance against an in-form Lyon side.

The main structure Le Havre has adopted is a 3-1-4-2 formation, which is supposed to guarantee them balanced teams in both defense and attack. However, they have shown numerous weaknesses, especially in defense, in recent games. They have conceded first in five consecutive matches, something that they will need to change if they are to put up a good fight against Lyon. Having been reduced to ten men with a red card for Étienne Youte Kinkoue in their last outing, Digard may look at being more conservative by packing the defense and looking to catch them on the counter-attack. Possession stats do suggest that at times, they can control the ball, but an inability to convert possession into meaningful opportunities has been their Achilles heel. They might set-pieces make the key to their success, having won 9 corners in their last match.

Olympique Lyon

On the other end, Olympique Lyon comes fresh off the back of an authoritative 2-0 win against Nantes, showing attacking depth and solidity at the back. Goalkeeper Lucas Perri was the star of that match, pulling off several saves to keep the clean sheet. Though Lyon's front line has been firing on all cylinders and Pierre Sage's side boasts four wins in their last five, they will be brimming with confidence as they travel to face a struggling Le Havre.

In a normal case, Lyon, under Pierre Sage, usually adopt a 4-2-3-1 system that is meant to maximize their width for them to press high up the pitch. Having amassed 62% possession and created 7 big chances against Nantes, Lyon proved that they could dominate both on the back and upfront. Pressing high has been very effective in forcing errors, and how they capitalize on these forced errors will determine if they can take down Le Havre. Expect Lyon to deploy quick ball transitions from midfield to attack, where creative players will look to exploit any open gap in Le Havre's defense. Defensive solidity has also been a strong point, with Lucas Perri delivering stellar performances in goal to provide a base for Lyon to work from.

Head to Head

Head-to-head, Lyon has a slight edge because they have managed to win 7 out of the last twelve meetings between these two sides, while Le Havre has only come out victorious three times; the remaining two matches have ended in a draw. The dominance in the recent times of Lyon is there to be seen, as their last meeting ended in a 3-1 win in January 2024. This pattern that shows up in these meetings could mean Lyon will be dominating the possession and regulating the tempo of the match, while Le Havre will struggle to penetrate deep into the Lyon defense. Quite amazingly, 9 of the last 10 matches between these sides produced under 4.5 cards.

Expert Betting Tips

Le Havre's current form, however, is a cause for concern, while failing to see out clean sheets and finding the back of the net has been a problem. A red card issued in their last match compounds their issues at the back, while failing to score first in five straight matches suggests a fragility there for Lyon to expose. With Lyon now in far better form after winning four of their last five, boasting an anchoring goalkeeper in Lucas Perri, it is tough to see where Le Havre will be able to change things around.

The fact that Le Havre always seem to open the doors early in most matches could be a big headache, particularly when playing against this Lyon side that has scored early in their recent matches. With their high-pressing way of play and nature of creating a number of opportunities in each match, Lyon are automatically the favorites. The only thing that Le Havre may hope for could perhaps be on set pieces or the potential errors of Lyon, but really, at this time, the quality between the two sides is so vast.

• Away Win @ 2.028 Odds
• Away Score First @ 1.67 Odds
• Alexandre Lacazette Score Anytime @ 2.50 Odds