Olympique Lyonnais - FC Nantes

- Kick-off: 20:00 GMT

>> LIVE SCORING, STATS & COMMENTARY

Lacazette returned to first club Lyon from Arsenal at the start of the season, and has relished being back at the Groupama Stadium, hitting 18 goals and five assists at a rate of one every 93 minutes played before last Friday's trip to Lille.

OL's other options

But the former France forward has struggled with a groin injury since the turn of the year, and had missed four games prior to the LOSC clash, with Amin Sarr or Moussa Dembélé leading the line in his stead.

Sarr got the nod last Friday, but Lacazette entered the fray on 72 minutes, and after giving away a penalty for Jonathan David to complete his hat-trick, struck twice to rescue a share of the points.

Watch: Highlights of Lyon's 3-3 draw with Lille

"There were two good teams on the pitch," reflected OL manager Laurent Blanc. "There was suspense, good players on both sides, two coaches with attacking intent - that makes for good games. But it's as if by magic, when Lacazette wasn't there you could see his importance to the team. Scoring goals is the hardest thing in football."

Lacazette is expected to lead the line, while Jérôme Boateng is nearing match fitness after a calf strain, but first-choice goalkeeper Anthony Lopes has a broken finger, so Rémy Riou will stand in for him. Malo Gusto, now owned by Chelsea, has a thigh strain.

Canaris ready for lift off?

Nantes begin the day in 14th, four places yet 11 points worse off than their hosts, but les Canaris seem to have turned a corner in recent weeks.

While they might have been expected to lose 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain in Round 26, they won through to the semi-finals of the Coupe de France - which they won last season - at RC Lens' expense in the game before that, and held OGC Nice to a 2-2 draw last Sunday.

Watch: Highlights if Nantes' 2-2 draw with Nice

Nantes might even have taken all three points if not for some naïve defending from Jaouen Hadjam, but Blanc's opposite number Antoine Kombouaré leapt to the defence of his fellow former PSG man after the game.

'Kombouaré: 'he's not alone!'

"It's just young players," he said of the left-back's failure to pick up Terem Moffi from Ross Barkley's corner for the opener. "We know that above all he's an attacking player but we'll work with him on his defending. But he's not alone! The whole team has to help."

Kombouaré doesn't have his full squad to call upon on Friday. Quentin Merlin has a groin strain while Marcus Coco and Charles Traoré are wrestling with thigh injuries. Andrei Girotti one booking away from suspension but will get the nod at centre-back.

Possible teams

Lyon: Riou; Diomandé, Lovren, Lukeba, Tagliafico; Lepenant, Caqueret, Tolisso; Barcola, Lacazette, Cherki

Nantes: Lafont; Centonze, Girotto, Pallois, Hadjam; Mollet, Moutoussamy; Sissoko, Blas, Simon; Ganago