Lyon have shrugged off their financial problems to make an impressive start to the Ligue 1 campaign but face their biggest test so far when Marseille come calling.
It looked like the fallen giants would spend this season in Ligue 2 after being demoted for posting huge losses but Lyon held on to their place in the top flight after winning an appeal.
With some star players moving on in the summer and coach Paulo Fonseca banned on matchdays until November for a clash with a referee, I thought Lyon would struggle in their opener away to Lens.
But they ground out a 1-0 win then followed it up with a 3-0 home victory over Metz, which left them sitting top of the pile after two games.
Marseille will present a far bigger challenge than either of those two sides but Roberto De Zerbi's men haven't made a great start to the new campaign.
They lost 1-0 to 10-man Rennes in their opener but bounced back in the next game by thrashing promoted side Paris FC 5-2. That was more like it from OM and De Zerbi will now be looking to build momentum with a win in Lyon.
How the bookies view it: Very little in it
The bookies are sitting on the fence for this one, with Marseille the narrowest of favourites at 6/4 with BoyleSports, who price Lyon at 13/8. The draw pays 13/5 and that will be popular with punters.
Recent head to head: Marseille on top
Marseille have dominated this fixture in recent seasons, winning five of the last six meetings. Both clashes last term ended in 3-2 victories for De Zerbi's side.
Players to watch: Mikautadze in the mood
Georges Mikautadze is now the main man up front for Lyon and grabbed their winner at Lens on day one. The Georgian will fancy his chances against a Marseille defence that has conceded in both Ligue 1 games so far and he's 6/4 for anytime scorer at BoyleSports.
Former Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sparked into life last time out with a double in that win over Paris FC. The veteran's confidence will be up for this one and he's also 6/4 for another goal.
Probable line-ups
Lyon are still without injured duo Ezno Molebe and Ernest Nuamah while Marseille look set to be missing Facundo Medina, Amine Harit, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Igor Paixao and Ruben Blanco.
Lyon: Descamps, Abner Vinicius, Niakhate, Mata, Maitland-Niles, Tessmann, Tolisso, Sulc, Fofana, Morton, Mikautadze,
Marseille: Rulli, Egan-Riley, Balerdi, Garcia, Murillo, Gomes, Gouiri, Greenwood, Hojbjerg, Weah, Aubameyang.
Anything else catch the eye?
Although Lyon have won both their games so far, they still don't look as strong as Marseille, so I'm leaning towards the away win here. Combining a victory for OM with over 1.5 goals boosts the odds to 9/5.
This fixture produced goals galore last term, with both meetings ending in 3-2 scorelines. After Marseille won 5-2 in their last game, going for goals again looks a smart move here. Combining BTTS and over 2.5 goals pays just 8/11 but over 3.5 goals on its own is better at 5/4 with BoyleSports. I also like over 1.5 first-half strikes at the same price.
We saw 13 corners when Marseille came to Lyon last term so that's another market worth looking at. Bet365 price over nine corners at 10/11 while over four first-half corners is better value at 21/20.
GambleAware