Jérôme Boateng will miss Olympique Lyonnais' meeting with OGC Nice on Friday after undergoing knee surgery while Karim Benzema back in town to present his recent Ballon d'Or.

Olympique Lyonnais - OGC Nice

- Kick-off: 20:00 GMT

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Boateng's fortunes had taken a turn for the better along with Lyon's since Laurent Blanc replaced Peter Bosz as manager last month, the 34-year old former Germany FIFA World Cup winner turning back the years at the heart of Blanc's preferred three-man back-line.

Blanc saw his recent winning run - with victories over Montpellier Hérault SC and LOSC - stopped at two on Sunday when les Gones were edged 1-0 by Olympique de Marseille at the Orange Vélodrome, though.

Benzema back

Boateng was replaced by Sinaly Diomandé at centre-back on 69' minutes, and just as sore for Lyon as the result is the fact that the defender will now be out for the rest of 2022. Real Madrid and France star Benzema will present his recently won Ballon d'Or at his first club before the game.

"I've got great confidence in them, but we're not going to change our method or vision," Blanc said at his pre-match press conference. We're simply going to work harder. I've been very clear with what I want. We'll see if it comes through on Friday.

Watch: Highlights of Lyon's 1-0 loss at Marseille

"Karim Benzema? If he comes to present his Ballon d'Or, it'll be a very good idea. I love it, I said that from the start. We chat from time to time. He's one of the very good players who started at Lyon, and he set the bar very high."

Another academy graduate, Corentin Tolisso, is set to join Boateng on the sidelines due to his struggles with a thigh strain.  With Blanc praising Boateng's experience recently, expect the 34-year-old Damien Da Silva to slot in on Friday with youngsters Diomandé and Castello Lukeba either side of him.

Nice for some

Nice make the 400 kilometre journey north west to Lyon with their eighth-placed hosts just one place and point better off than them in the Ligue 1 Uber Eats standings.

Les Aiglons have turned a corner in recent weeks, and are now undefeated in five league games stretching back to Round 9 when they were edged 2-1 by champions Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes.

Watch: Highlights of Nice's 1-0 win over Brest

Blanc was tasked with getting Lyon back into the UEFA Champions League after replacing Bosz, and now his opposite number Lucien Favre says Nice have exactly the same target after an Ineos spokesperson reiterated club owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's ambitions with the club.

Champions League ambition

"I said that the objective was to have a team which, in two years, will be ready to play the Champions League and compete with PSG," said Faivre. "So you have to build a team. It's not as easy as you think. But if you give it time, it happens. I firmly believe in this project."

Andey Delort is still struggling with a knee issue so his long-time Montpellier strike partner Gaëtan Laborde should have Arsenal loanee Nicolas Pépé for company in the final third on Friday, with Hicham Boudaoui taking his usual spot at right-midfield.

First-choice left-back Melvin Bard - who missed Sunday's 1-0 win at home to Stade Brestois 29 - returns from suspension, with Jordan Lotomba the player most likely to be sacrificed.

Possible teams

Lyon: Lopes; Diomandé, Da Silva, Lukeba; Gusto, Mendes, Caqueret, Taglifico; Aouar; Dembélé, Lacazette

Nice: Schmeichel; Atal, Todibo, Dante, Bard; Boudaoui, Ramsey, Lemina, Brahimi; Pépé, Laborde