Metz vs Lyon Prediction: Lacazette on target for resurgent visitors

Metz will face a rejuvenated Lyon in the opening game of Ligue 1's 23rd round of fixtures at Stade Saint-Symphorien on Friday night (KO, 20:00).

The Lorraine club, who have gone almost three months without a victory in any competition, are running out of time to pull clear of the relegation places.

Meanwhile, Pierre Sage's visitors will scent another three points after getting on a roll with league wins over Marseille, Montpellier and Nice.

Team News

Metz midfielders Kevin N'Doram (thigh) and Ablie Jallow (knock) look set to miss out again while Didier Lamkel Ze is a doubt for this match after coming off in the latter stages of last week's 3-0 loss to Montpellier.

Lyon's interim boss will be forced into at least one change because Argentinian left-back Nicolas Tagliafico serves a ban for an accumulation of yellow cards. Defenders Dejan Lovren and Henrique will miss the match due to illness while midfielders Corentin Tolisso (thigh) and Johann Lepentant (knee) are injured.

Match Odds

Visitors Lyon are the 4/5 favourites to win a fourth league game in a row that would continue their upturn in fortunes this year.

Metz are available at 18/5 to kickstart their battle for survival by claiming a much-needed win with the draw at 13/5.

It's 5/6 for both teams to score and also 5/6 for at least one of the teams to keep a clean sheet while 5/2 is available for over 3.5 goals to be scored in the game.

Lyon to win @ 4/5

Only Rennes and Paris Saint-Germain have taken more points than Lyon since Christmas, with Sage having seemingly found the formula that they lacked under previous boss Fabio Grosso.

Les Gones were languishing in the bottom three for most of the first half of the campaign, but can start thinking about a push for Europe if their current form holds for the next three months.

They have won six of their last eight Ligue 1 matches, with recent victories at Monaco and Montpellier suggesting their away form is good enough to keep the points rolling in.

Meanwhile, Metz are mired in the bottom two after collecting only one point from their last nine league games and they do not appear to have the resources to break their winless sequence.

Les Grenats have not even been ahead in a league game since that last win posted in November and are easy to oppose in this Friday night fixture.

Alexandre Lacazette to score anytime @ 21/20

Alexandre Lacazette has been a key player during Lyon's recent revival with the evergreen ex-Arsenal striker having scored at a rate of a goal per game in the league since October.

After enduring a tough start to the campaign in which he scored only three in Lyon's first 14 Ligue games, eight in his last eight will have the 32-year-old thinking about breaking the 20-goal barrier again this term.

Lacazette is a reliable performer and takes penalties, which could be a key aspect of him getting on the scoresheet against a Metz side that have conceded three spot-kicks in their last five games.

Check out the rest of our Football Betting Tips here.