Lyonnais vs Guingamp preview - Fournier aiming for summit

Lyon coach Hubert Fournier wants his team to top of Ligue 1 at Christmas.

Lyon head into Sunday's match against strugglers Guingamp as one of the form teams in France.

Fournier's men recorded their fourth successive win against Nice last weekend and they have are unbeaten since August.

Les Gones are five points adrift of Marseille and Fournier hopes his men can catch the Ligue 1 league leaders by the time the winter break starts on December 20.

"We aspire to be (top by the break)," Fournier told a press conference.

"But we do not believe the supposed easy matches will be like that.

"In November, we have a tough schedule with trips to Bastia, St Etienne. Then in December, we'll play every three days

"But we do not lack any of the required will. We must continue this (run) together."

On paper Sunday's game should be a walk over for Fournier's team.

Guingamp are only two points above the relegation zone after losing eight matches so far this term.

And unlike Lyon, they had to play in the Europa League on Thursday night, when they beat Dinamo Minsk.

Fournier refused to accept he already has three points in the bag, though.

"It could be a trap for us (if we think that way)," he said.

"I watched the match in the Europa League and they are up to the task.

"They have won their last two games and they are hard to beat.

"The fact that they played on Thursday will only be an advantage for us if we play with sufficient intensity."

Unfortunately for Fournier, he will be without key playmaker Yoann Gourcuff, who will be out for an undetermined amount of time because of an adductor injury.

"It's still too early to tell when he will be back," the Lyon coach added.

"It is frustrating, like all injuries are."

Guingamp will be without goalkeeper Mamadou Samassa, who will serve the last match of a five-game ban.

Jeremy Sorbon, Maxime Baca and Younousse Sankhare are likely to be recalled after being rested for the Minsk game.

Coach Jocelyn Gourvennec goes into Sunday's game full of confidence after the win over Minsk, which keeps Guingamp in second place in their group with two matches left.

"I think we played intelligently; we didn't rush things and we didn't expose ourselves," he told L'Equipe.

"There are just two matches left. We have to get the job done."