Memphis Depay returns for Lyon as they face relegation-threated Nîmes on Sunday hoping for all three points and a stroke of good fortune to boost their ambitions of finishing in the top three in the Ligue 1 Uber Eats table.
Depay, who has netted 19 Ligue 1 goals this season, served a one-match ban as Lyon defeated Lorient 4-1 last weekend to remain a point behind third-placed Monaco and move to within three of second-placed Paris Saint-Germain.
With only the top three in France qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, the remaining 180 minutes of the season promise to be nail-bitingly tense, and midfielder Lucas Paqueta has called on his teammates to keep their focus razor-sharp against Nîmes, second-from-bottom but still harbouring hopes of saving themselves from the drop.
"This year has been difficult on and off the pitch for everyone. Sunday's game is going to be special for us and Nîmes. We have to show ourselves to be superior to them. We have beaten Monaco twice this season, we've drawn with Lille and we played well against them here, but we lacked concentration. We have to improve our concentration to be stronger," explained the Brazil international midfielder, whose side have won their last two — against Lorient and Monaco — after a demoralising defeat to league leaders Lille in Round 34 in which OL wasted a 2-0 lead.
WATCH: What happened when Lyon met Nîmes earlier this season
"I was very disappointed and frustrated after the game against Lille. I kept going over it in my head for a number of days. Afterwards, I said to myself that I had to pick myself up because we still have objectives to achieve. I'm giving the best of myself to get back on top. We have to think above all about winning. We have worked well this week. It's up to us to win the game on Sunday first and then the one the following week. We'll see what happens after that."
Depay is not the only first-teamer again available with Maxence Caqueret and Marcelo also back from bans, though Italy international defender Mattia De Sciglio is suspended. Jason Denayer could also return following the injury he sustained against Monaco to bolster the back line as boss Rudi Garcia looks for his side to register a fifth win in six league outings.
"We've worked very well this week. There was a determination and desire to win the matches in training. We musn't make any calculations. We have to win our games," explained Garcia. "Sunday's one will be complicated. We have to win and hope for a slip from our rivals to be able to finish on the podium at the end of the season. I still think that the three teams ahead of us won't win all their matches.
"The determination is there, the motivation too. We have to keep a cool head. There's a lot at stake in the last two games, for the podium, for Europe, and there's a battle at the top and the bottom, everything is open."
Only five of the last 12 teams to have 35 points — as Nîmes do now — at this stage of the season have managed to save themselves from relegation. The appointment of Pascal Planque in February galvanised the squad, however, and five wins and five draws in 14 matches in charge for the former Southampton and Leicester City assistant coach have given the southerners hope.
They have lost just once in their last five top-flight matches, and cruised to a 3-0 win in Metz last weekend to leave themselves two points off the relegation/promotion play-off place and three shy of outright safety.
Probable teams
Nîmes: Reynet; Alakouch, Ueda, Landre, Meling; Fomba, Cubas; Eliasson, Ripart, Ferhat; Koné
Lyon: Lopes; Dubois, Marcelo, Denayer, Cornet; Guimaraes, Caqueret; Toko Ekambi, Paqueta, Aouar; Depay
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