Two of the teams in the best form in Europe's Top 5 leagues meet on Friday and it is almost certain that one of them will go home disappointed. Will Strasbourg and Lyon repeat their incredible clash from August, when we saw seven goals?
The early months of this season were pretty poor for Strasbourg and they gave us no reasons to believe they might be one of the favourites for a place in Europe next season. But the truth is that only PSG have won more points in the last 15 rounds in Ligue 1. The Blue-and-Whites have just one loss in their last 10 games in the elite, sitting just two points behind Lyon.
The Kids, on the other hand, have been just as impressive, if not more so. Lyon are coming off five consecutive wins in all competitions, scoring 15 goals in that span. The team is far more efficient in attack than Strasbourg, scoring an average of two goals per game this season. By comparison, Strasbourg score an average of 1.58. This match will be the highlight of this round and, regardless of the result, will cause major shifts in the Top 6.
How the bookies view it: There is no betting favourite
Bookmakers realize how tough this clash will be and logically give close odds to both teams. You can pick Strasbourg at 17/10, the draw at 13/5, or Lyon at 29/20.
Recent head-to-head: Always a tight clash
Lyon and Strasbourg always have tight clashes, with each of the last five ending in a win by just one goal margin for either side. The important thing here is that Lyon hold the advantage with four wins, but Strasbourg also won their last home game against the Kids (2-1). We should also remember that the first match between the teams this season ended in a 4-3 win for Lyon, with the hosts turning around a 1-3 deficit. And Strasbourg weren't nearly as strong then as they are now.
Players to watch: Don't sleep on Cherki
There is a heavily underrated player in Lyon's squad named Rayan Cherki. The 21-year-old has been dominating the midfield since the start of 2025 and has eight goals and 18 assists this season for the team in all competitions. He has 13 goal contributions in the last 10 appearances for Lyon, so we would keep an eye on his performance against Strasbourg.
Probable line-ups
Strasbourg: Petrovic, Doue, Sarr, Doukoure, Barco, Santos, Lemarechal, Bakwa, Nanasi, Moreira, Emegha
Lyon: Perri, Maitland-Niles, Mata, Niakhate, Tagliafico, Matic, Tolisso, Almada, Cherki, Mikautadze, Lacazette
Anything else catch the eye?
Big scores have become the norm for both teams, with 10 of the last 14 for both sides seeing Over 2.5 goals and BTTS. More importantly, this what happened in almost all direct clashes in recent years too. Four of the last five H2Hs ended with goals for both teams as well as over 2.5. We already mentioned that the reverse fixture this season featured a total of seven goals.
We're far from expecting the same spectacular result, but we expect action on both ends and a winner at full time. We don't recommend risking a bet in favour of either side because both teams are in their best form of the season right now. But any of the goal markets is a good pick.
This French Ligue 1 match between Strasbourg and Lyon will be played on and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Strasbourg vs Lyon prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
GambleAware