What: French Coupe de la Ligue final
Who: Lyon vs Marseille
When: Saturday 14th April, 2012, at 20:00 UK Time
Where: Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France
Riding On the Crest of a Form Wave
Lyon have hit a spell of good form of late, since their surprise Champions League exit to Cypriot minnows APOEL. This week Les Gones beat Gazelec Ajaccio in the semi-final of the French Cup, meaning they will contest both domestic cup finals this year.
Seeming to peak now, Lyon have handed Carlo Ancelotti his first defeat as Paris Saint-Germain coach, beaten champions Lille and negotiated tricky away ties with Rennes and local rivals Saint-Etienne. Argentine hitman Lisandro Lopez has been in particularly good form, scoring six times in seven games to take some of the goalscoring burden off Bafatembi Gomis. That has been especially important with left sided raider Michel Bastos injured.
The big picture for Lyon is Champions League qualification, which they are three points off, sitting behind Lille, who occupy the all-important third spot. But the cups will provide a welcome distraction and opportunity to lift some silverware in Remi Garde’s first season in charge at the Stade Gerland. His youthful team will hope that they can rub salt into the wounds of a Marseille outfit enduring a torrid season.
Picking up the Coupe de la Ligue could also provide the perfect boost in the home straight of Ligue 1.
No End in Sight
It was no surprise that against Montpellier in midweek, Marseille opted to rest several of their big names, including playmaker Mathieu Valbuena, whilst Loic Remy continues to struggle to fully recover from a thigh knock. And the 3-1 loss to La Pallaide gave their opponents the chance to move three points clear of Marseille’s fierce enemy, Paris Saint-Germain.
But it says much for the season of Deschamps’ men that despite such poor form at the start of the 2011/12 campaign, they can then go 16 games unbeaten, before losing 11 of their subsequent 12 fixtures and still be in with a chance of winning a trophy.
This has been an up and down year at the Stade Velodrome, and despite the side’s form Marseille always appear to give the impression of something positive coming just around the corner. Instability however continues in the boardroom, with the club’s president, Vincent Labrune, a key Deschamps ally, saying that the 1998 World Cup-winning captain could be tempted away, with speculation of a switch to Chelsea continuing.
“Didier wants to win the Champions League one day, and there are offers that are hard to refuse”, said Labrune. It would be difficult to imagine the Frenchman leaving a club he has so much history with before helping them lift a trophy though, and this would be a perfect opportunity to do that.
Recent form
Lyon:
Rennes 1-1 Lyon (01/04; Ligue 1)
Lyon 2-1 Auxerre (07/04; Ligue 1)
Gazelec Ajaccio 0-4 Lyon (10/04; Coupe de France)
Marseille:
Bayern Munich 2-0 Marseille (03/04; Champions League)
Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Marseille (08/04; Ligue 1)
Marseille 1-3 Montpellier (11/04; Ligue 1)
Key absences
Lyon: Yoann Gourcuff (doubt); Cris; Michel Bastos; John Mensah
Marseille: Loic Remy (doubt); Souleymane Diawara; Andre Ayew; Cesar Azpilicueta
Players to watch
Lyon – Clement Grenier: Despite their good form, Lyon’s defence still has question marks over it, and with Cris absent they will look to attack and make the best use of their potential going forward. Without Michel Bastos though, more pressure will fall on the precociously talented but young Grenier. He scored a brilliant volley in midweek as Lyon beat Gazelec Ajaccio in the other French Cup, and his technical ability and creativity will be crucial to supplying the passes Lopez and Gomis will need to win the game.
Marseille – Mathieu Valbuena: Deschamps may go with Stephane Mbia and Alou Diarra in central midfield, and the work rate of Valbuena, who will play just ahead of the pair, could be key in helping Marseille to dominate in this part of the pitch against Lyon. But when Marseille have the ball it will be the Frenchman they look for to make something happen. Particularly with Remy struggling for fitness, Valbuena’s influence will be so important in this game. He is level with Eden Hazard as the leading creator in Ligue 1, but will need to be at his tenacious best without the ball, as well as creative and intelligent as he so often is with it, for Deschamps’ side to emerge from their slump with a trophy.
Match Prediction
It would be some way to end a disastrous run of form which has seen Marseille lose eleven of their last twelve games in all competitions, if they were to win a trophy here. They will be glad of the return of Alou Diarra too, and with this comes the key to potentially beating Lyon. Garde has been playing with Lopez and Gomis up front and this means that Les Gones can be overrun in central midfield, and Marseille are a particularly athletic team who will probably play three central midfielders. With the hard working Morgan Amalfitano and Andre Ayew, Deschamps has the weapons to tactically outsmart Garde and bully a young Lyon team, particularly one which has had to rely on the shaky Samuel Umtiti at times in defence.
But then there is the stark fact that one team are in superb form, and one are experiencing a shocking series of fixtures. How Marseille cope with Lopez and Gomis will be vital, and missing Diawara and Azpilicueta will only make that task harder. Rod Fanni and Nicolas Nkoulou will need to be at their best to ensure Marseille stay in the game. This match has the potential for goals, but it should prove a tight affair, as finals usually are. Extra time would not be a surprise, but Lyon will not want the game going to penalties after their nightmare in Nicosia, and with the form of their forwards, they may be able to just avoid that ignominy. Lyon 2-1 Marseille (after extra time).
Lyon v Marseille will surely be full of thrills and spills. Who will you bet on? Make sure you visit OLBG for tips and to compare the current odds and betting markets available at all the important bookmakers.
