Unbeaten Lyon out to mount woes on Dijon as Paris FC host Bordeaux: D1 Arkema Week 8 preview

A relentless Olympique Lyon, which has been pulling up trees from day one of the current campaign, look to continue their defence of the championship when they welcome struggling Dijon Football Côte d'Or to Terrain d'honneur Gérard Houllier on Friday night. 

Unbeaten in seven out of seven games so far this campaign, Sonia Bompastor will be eager to maintain a stranglehold on the campaign. 

Having scored 20:1 goals in their previous three matches across all competitions and with goals coming from everywhere in a team laden with attacking talent which includes Eugénie Le Sommer (7), Kadidiatou Diani (3) and Ada Hegerberg (3) , Dijon will have their work cut-out in trying to stop another goal fest from Lyon.  

Unbeatable at Stade Gerard Houllier this campaign and having never lost to Dijon in their past 11 meetings, the log-leaders will be eager to keep their emphatic start unblemished.

On the other hand, Dijon, winless in any of their last five matches in D1 Arkema and having registered zero wins in the last four away games, the task to halt a marauding Lyon looks insurmountable for the 11th ranked team.

Meanwhile, second-placed Paris FC, who have lost – and heavily so – only to table-toppers Lyon this term, welcome 10th placed Bordeaux to Estadio Charléty on Sunday afternoon.

Smarting from a 2-1 defeat at the hands of BK Häcken in the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) at home on Wednesday, Sandrine Soubeyrand will be hoping to get back to winning ways in an effort to keep pressure on Lyon. 

The hosts are in good form on the domestic front having won two home games at Stade Charléty.

Boasting a dominant goal-scoring attacking quartet of Louise Fleury (6), Gaëtane Thiney (5), Julie Dufour (4) and Louna Ribadeira (4), the Parisans will be out to exert more pressure on a struggling Bordeaux. 

Paris FC have won three, drawn three and lost three in their past nine meetings with Bordeaux and will be hoping to better the above-mentioned statistics.

On the other hand, Bordeaux, who have had a lacklustre start to the campaign, picking up a meagre two points from a possible 21 and having lost four of their previous five ties, will be hoping not to come a cropper against the free-scoring Soubeyrand coached Paris outfit. 

In a fixture that the visitors have had a fair share of success, Patrice Lair will be hoping for a change in fortunes.

Third-placed Fleury, who have continued to stake a claim amongst the big-guns in French football, travel to Paris for a date against Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday afternoon. 

Fleury 91, who have not won any match in their past nine fixtures against PSG, will be eager to build from a strong start to the season which has seen them win four, draw one and lose two matches during the current campaign. 

Defender Ewelina Kamczyk (3), who has been bailing out the forward line with some important goals this season, will be eager to continue her good start to the season. 

Fresh from a defeat in the UWCL to Ajax, PSG will be eager to put that confidence-sapping loss behind them as they look to climb up the ladder having had to settle for a place outside the champions league slots for much of the season so far. 

Having had a match against Reims abandoned in October after a torrent of fireworks were launched onto the pitch and having dropped three points against log-leaders Lyon on matchday two of the campaign, coach Joselyn Precheur will be eager to continue climbing up the log. 

Malawian import Tabitha Chawinga who has been scoring for fun ever since she joined from Inter Milan, scoring six goals so far, will be eager to continue leading the offensive line for the home team. 

A mid-table clash looms as sixth-ranked Montpellier welcome fifth-placed Reims to Stade Bernard Gasset Terrain n°7 on Saturday afternoon.

With both teams having had indifferent starts to the season and only separated by a point, Reims will be eager to maintain a stranglehold on fifth place. 

Having won two, drawn two and lost one match in the previous five, Reims enter into the match with the aim to widen the gap on Montpellier.

On the other hand, the home team, who have collected six points from a possible 15 from their last five matches, will be hoping to get a win and overtake Reims on the log.

Another mid-table clash sees seventh place Le Havre square-off against visitors Guingamp at Stade Océane on Saturday afternoon.

Both teams go into the match eager to get into double figures on the points tally as they have both amassed seven points out of a possible 21. 

The home team is placed higher on the log due to a superior goal difference.

Debutants Lille OSC play host to bottom-placed AS Saint-Étienne on Saturday afternoon with only one aim: to consolidate their place amongst the big-guns in French football. 

LOSC, who are ranked ninth and have won one, drawn three and lost four times in the league so far, will be eager to compound woes on fellow strugglers AS Saint-Étienne.

On the other hand, AS Saint-Étienne, who have only one point on the table this season, will be out to kick-start their season before it is too late.

FIXTURES: Friday 17 November, 2023 (22:00) Lyon vs Dijon

FIXTURES: Saturday 18 November, 2023 (15:30) Le Havre vs Guingamp

FIXTURES:  Saturday 18 November, 2023 (15:30) Lille OSC vs AS Saint-Étienne

FIXTURES: Saturday 18 November, 2023 (15:30) Montpellier vs Reims

FIXTURES: Sunday 19 November, 2023 (16:00) Paris SG vs Fleury

FIXTURES: Sunday 19 November, 2023 (22:00) Paris FC vs Bordeaux 

All Times are Central European Time (CET)