Nice vs Lyonnais preview - Eduardo sets sights on Lyon

Posted Saturday, November 01, 2014 by PA

Carlos Eduardo will take aim at Lyon on Saturday night after plundering five goals for Nice against Guingamp in his last Ligue 1 outing.

The Brazilian's haul came as Nice romped to a 7-2 win last weekend, making him the first player to score five in a Ligue 1 match since 1984, a year when Jean-Francois Beltramini, Philippe Anziani and Toni Kurbos all achieved it, with Kurbos netting six for Metz against Nimes.

However, team-mate Mathieu Bodmer insisted the 25-year-old, on loan from Porto, is not letting anything go to his head.

"He is reserved," Bodmer, who this week signed a new two-year contract, said on the club's website. "He is happy to do his job. He has his feet on the ground.

"Even after his perfect match, nothing has changed. For him and for the team, the most difficult thing is to follow it up."

Coach Claude Puel added that he was keen to see his star forward step up to the very different challenge presented by Lyon.

"I hope he won't be too put off and that he can concentrate on his game," Puel said. "(I hope) he'll know how to draw a line between what he experienced at Guingamp and what awaits us against Lyon."

The five-goal hero was an unused substitute for a midweek Coupe de la Ligue game against Metz, allowed to take a breather for a match Nice lost on penalties after a 3-3 draw.

Puel said: "Against Metz we saw that when we are not focused from the start, we can be quickly punished. I think we learned a lesson."

Lyon will have to do without captain Maxime Gonalons, who will miss his first match in 33 as he serves a suspension for the accumulation of yellow cards.

They beat leaders Marseille 1-0 last weekend to climb to third place, but head coach Hubert Fournier has been picking apart his team's performance and served a warning to his players as they prepare to return to league action.

"We haven't set any targets. It's too early," Fournier said on the Lyon website. "If you want to be ambitious, you must for example give away fewer chances than we did against Marseille where we needed a great goalkeeper and the clumsiness of the opposition forwards. We mustn't concede so many chances. It's caused by a lack of concentration, our inability to keep control of a game.

"It's the words of a perfectionist but above all it's what we must do. We can't be content with the simple result against Marseille. We have to be demanding to stay on the podium.

"Lyon are back in a more familiar position but it remains fragile. Don't forget Monaco, St Etienne and one or two others. It's a very open league."