The Matchday 16 Ligue 1 fixture between Lyon and Le Havre will take place on December 14 at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais. Lyon vs Le Havre: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Lyon
A week ago Lyon lost narrowly away to Lorient (0-1). The club has managed just two wins in their last nine league matches, collecting only nine points in that period. By contrast, Lyon won five of their first six Ligue 1 games this season, taking 15 points from a possible 18. Thanks to that strong start they still occupy fifth place in the table. In their current form Paulo Fonseca's side look unlikely to climb into the Champions League places — they sit five points off fourth — while the gap to leaders Lens has stretched to ten points.
- Lyon have won six of their last eight home league matches.
- The club's uncompromising home run in this competition spans 15 games (11 wins, 4 defeats).
- Lyon have scored in each of their last 15 home Ligue 1 matches.
Predicted lineup for Lyon (3-4-3)*
Dominik Greif – Clinton Mata, Moussa Niakhaté, Nicolas Tagliafico – Matis de Carvalho, Tyler Morton, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Abner – Pavel Schulz, Corentin Tolisso, Martin Satriano.
Midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles is suspended. Midfielders Tanner Tessmann and Orel Mangala, along with forwards Malik Fofana and Ernest Nuamah, are sidelined with injuries. Defender Ruben Kluivert may return from injury.
Le Havre
Le Havre are embroiled in a familiar relegation battle and currently sit 15th, precariously close to the play-off zone. In the last round they played out a goalless draw at home with Paris Saint-Germain, extending their winless Ligue 1 run to five matches (3 draws, 2 defeats). Notably, the team failed to score in each of their last three league games. Across the season Le Havre have managed just 13 goals in the championship, a tally only bettered by Auxerre (11). Focusing on away matches in Ligue 1, they have scored just four goals in seven games, a figure worse only than Lorient (2).
- At least one team failed to score in 6 of Le Havre's last 7 league matches.
- The club has failed to win in 6 of their last 7 away league games (2 draws, 4 defeats).
- No more than two goals were scored in 6 of the team's last 7 Ligue 1 matches.
Predicted lineup for Le Havre (4-3-3)
Mory Diaw – Yanis Zouaoui, Gautier Lloris, Aruna Sangante, Loïc Nego – Rassoul Ndiaye, Ayumu Seko, Simon Ebono – Issa Soumaré, Mbwana Samatta, Godson Kyeremeh.
Midfielders Simon Ebono and Abdoulaye Toure, plus forward Damian Pizarro, are unavailable due to health issues.
Referee
Jérôme Brisard (France)
Matches – 8 (Ligue 1, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 35;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.4;
Red cards shown – 4;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 13%.
Match Prediction: Lyon vs Le Havre
Lyon remain well short of the form that yielded 15 points from their first six Ligue 1 fixtures. Since October the team have taken just two wins from nine league games and secured only one comfortable win (3-0 against Nantes). Even at home Lyon have either lost or scraped narrow victories in five of their last six league matches.
Le Havre are accustomed to battling near the bottom but deserve credit for their resilience. Over the last seven rounds they have lost only twice, with one of those defeats being by a single goal. Aside from a 0-3 loss to PSG, they have rarely conceded more than one goal in that span and have kept four clean sheets.
It is plausible the visitors will keep the contest competitive until the final whistle. Prediction – Le Havre with a +1.5 handicap
* The starting XI listed for each team reflects their lineup from the previous match in this competition.
