What: French Ligue 1
Who: Lyon vs Paris Saint-Germain
When: Saturday 25th February, 2012, at 20:00 UK Time
Where: Stade Gerland, Lyon, France
Champions League Hopes Fade
Lyon have qualified for the Champions League each of the last 12 editions, yet the French giants are staring at the stark reality of missing out next season as Lille and Montpellier pull away from Remi Garde’s men.
It has been a long campaign so far for Les Gones, who along with Marseille are the only French side still going strong in all competitions. Like Marseille, Lyon are currently six points behind champions Lille who are third. Les Gones trail arch rivals and neighbours Saint-Etienne by three though, and Marseille have played a game less than Lyon, who have stuttered badly in recent weeks as they keep their cup runs going at the expense of league form.
Perhaps this is in part due to the relatively young team Garde has at his disposal, blooding the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Clement Grenier. But it surely also owes in part to a leaky backline that he inherited from Claude Puel last year and has barely improved since.
The Coupe de la Ligue finalists have lost to Caen and Bordeaux in their last two league games and have yet to win in Ligue 1 this calendar year. With Lille and Saint-Etienne to come next month Garde has a tough task on his hands to keep his team in with a chance of Champions League qualification.
Second Test for Ancelotti
By contrast, Paris Saint-Germain and Montpellier have seemingly already booked the automatic Champions League spots for themselves, and it should be these two for the title tussle, though if Lille can put together a run of form, Rudi Garcia’s side could still have a say in the destination of the championship.
PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti had his first big test against Montpellier last weekend and the Italian will have been disappointed with his team’s performance overall. The capital club enjoyed their share of possession, but looked less threatening than the lively Montpellier and were somewhat fortunate to rescue a point with a late equaliser. Cohesion in the final third has gone missing since Ancelotti replaced Antoine Kombouare in the dugout. It is perhaps no surprise given that the Italian is more defensively minded than his predecessor.
Attacking livewire Javier Pastore, so key at the start of the season, has lost his form and is only just returning after an injury, so it would be expecting a lot for the Argentine to suddenly return and sweep PSG back to form. Goalscoring has become an issue, bizarrely for a team boasting talent such as Jeremy Menez, Nene and Kevin Gameiro in addition to ‘El Flaco’. Reuniting the fabulous four up front could be a big positive for PSG, but then, that would involve Ancelotti fielding two more central deep lying midfielders, which he has appeared reluctant to do so far.
Recent form
Lyon:
Bordeaux 1-0 Lyon (19/02; Ligue 1)
Lyon 1-0 APOEL Nicosia (14/02; Champions League)
Lyon 1-2 Caen (11/02; Ligue 1)
Paris Saint-Germain:
Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 Montpellier (19/02; Ligue 1)
Dijon 0–1 Paris Saint-Germain (15/02; Coupe de France)
Nice 0-0 Paris Saint-Germain (12/02; Ligue 1)
Key absences
Lyon: Yoann Gourcuff (doubt); Diego Lovren (doubt)
Paris Saint-Germain: Cristophe Jallet
Players to watch
Lyon – Bafatembi Gomis: Lyon’s most lethal finisher and one of the best forwards in France, Gomis’ ability to feed off scraps as well as serve as a battering ram is a major asset for Garde. Comfortable with the ball played into his path, ahead of him or with his back to goal, his abilities were vital for Lyon in their late surge last season and this year Les Gones will look to him to embark on the kind of goalscoring run that can propel the side back towards the top three. Starting here, Garde will hope.
Paris Saint-Germain – Blaise Matuidi: The Parisians will be kept busy by their hosts and it will be a game for the energetic and talented Matuidi. His defensive work will be invaluable to Ancelotti as he looks to Matuidi to keep Lyon as quiet as possible, and the midfielder’s ability to push forward and turn defence into attack and find the likes of Nene and Jeremy Menez quickly will be crucial in a game where PSG may face spells on the back foot.
Match Prediction
This should be an intriguing tactical battle between two teams whose approach to the transfer market this season could not have been more different. While PSG went on the biggest spending splurge in Europe, Lyon were quiet and their only significant change was bringing in Garde to replace Claude Puel.
Garde has got his team playing a more attacking style, and though he has done a decent job, he has not set pulses racing yet. His team have shown their promise in flashes, and they have beaten Lille and Montpellier at home already this season. Les Gones will look to attack with the skill of Michel Bastos and Jimmy Briand down the flanks, supplying the ever dangerous Bafatembi Gomis and whomever Garde plays with him – Lisandro Lopez or the promising Alexandre Lacazette.
Lyon are weak defensively though and have been forced to field 18-year-old Samuel Umtiti in recent weeks. The youngster has looked exposed and he will not relish facing PSG’s forwards. The visitors should have enough to cause problems and score goals, but the hosts will feel the same, and Lyon’s more attacking instincts could just edge it. Lyon 2-1 Paris Saint-Germain.
This important Lyon v Paris Saint-Germain match is sure to be entertaining. Who do you favour? Make sure you visit OLBG for tips and to compare the current odds and betting markets available at all the important bookmakers.
