Thursday Previews: Lyon look to stay perfect against Betis and more
This Thursday, four Ligue 1 McDonald's teams will take the pitch across the Europa League and Conference League -- learn what's at stake for Lyon, Lille, Nice and Strasbourg in our preview.
OGC Nice - SC Freiburg, 18:45 CET
With no points from their first three Europa League matches from his injury-hit squad, Nice manager Franck Haise is facing a race against time to put Les Aiglons back in the mix for the top 24, especially with tricky matches against Braga and Porto looming. An upturn in form in the league has them on three wins and a loss in their last four domestically, and the hope is that confidence can manifest itself against a side that has conceded just twice in Europe to date. Sofiane Diop (five goals in five matches in the league) is hitting form at the right time, and a win here would go a long way towards getting the hosts back in touching distance.
Sofiane Diop is having a great season! 🇲🇦😍 pic.twitter.com/JEToCRR49v
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) November 1, 2025
Red Star Belgrade - LOSC Lille, 18:45 CET
Having slipped to eleventh after a shocking home loss to Greek side PAOK in the previous round, Bruno Génésio will want to get his side back to winning ways away to a side who have struggled in Europe despite having a few names familiar to fans of French football in their ranks (Shavy Babicka, Nemanja Radonjic). Despite absences in defence (Nathan Ngoy, Alexsandro), the hosts are expected to name a strong side as they look to pick a win which could vault them back among the leaders ahead of the late kickoffs.
Real Betis - Olympique Lyonnais, 21:00 CET
One of only three teams in the competition to have a perfect record through three Matchdays, Les Gones will be hard-pressed to keep that form with a trip to Seville to face Real Betis. Led by veteran manager Manuel Pellegrini, the hosts have just five points from their first three matches after drawing with Genk and Nottingham Forest, but they'll be eager for a result here to increase their chances of finishing in the top eight.
Paulo Fonseca will have to face Los Veridblancos on the back of a trying match against Brest in which they played with ten men, and without the injured trio of Ernest Nuamah, Corentin Tolisso and Malick Fofana. The absence of the veteran Tolisso could see youngster Khalis Merah handed another start, allowing Lyon's latest academy gem ample opportunity to shine.
BK Hacken - RC Strasbourg, 21:00 CET
France's lone representative in the Conference League, Liam Rosenior's side have acquitted themselves well in the competition, as they remain undefeated through four matches. A trip to face a canny Hacken side will pose a real challenge, though. Not only are the hosts packed with canny veterans, but they showed in the previous round -- a two-all draw with Rayo Vallecano -- that they're unafraid to go toe-to-toe with teams from the top five leagues. With Emanuel Emegha and Mamadou Sarr fit again, injuries are less of a concern, and should Racing be able to shake off a humbling 4-1 defeat suffered in the league on Sunday, they should be good value for a result here.
