Prediction and odds for the game: PSG (1/2) v Lyon (19/4)
We are backing the PSG win
When: Friday, 31st July 2020, Kick-off 20:10
Where: The Stade de France
On Friday night, PSG and Lyon go head-to-head at the Stade de France, in the Coupe de la Ligue, with the Parisians looking to make it a domestic clean sweep this season.
PSG
The big-spending giants have once again dominated the French game this season. Despite Ligue One’s curtailment at the end of January, Thomas Tuchel’s team were awarded the title, which was their third straight title. The team from the French capital also recently claimed the French Cup and are still in the Champions League, which continues in two weeks where the French club will face exciting Italian team, Atalanta.
PSG have a good relationship with this competition, as they have won the competition in five of the last six seasons. PSG have enjoyed a pretty straightforward journey to the final, beating Le Mans, Saint Etienne and Reims on the way to the final, while scoring at least three goals in all three wins.
One negative for Tuchel and his team is the absence of French starlet Kylian Mbappe through injury. The reigning French champions are also without the attacking talents of Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani, who has left the club as a free agent. They do still have the ample talents of Mauro Icardi and Neymar, so the team from the capital are not short in attack.
Lyon
This is Lyon’s last chance of retrieving what has not been a great season for Rudi Garcia’s team. They finished seventh-place in the curtailed Ligue One, which by their recent standards was a disappointing campaign. OL does not have a great record in the Coupe de la Ligue, having won the competition on just one occasion back in 2001. They have however finished as runners-up four times, with the last those coming back in 2014. Since then they have struggled to make an impact in the competition.
A positive for Lyon going into this clash is that they have looked good in attack during their pre-season games. However, they have also looked slightly vulnerable in defence, which will be a concern heading into a game where they will face Neymar and Icardi.
Talking of attacking threat, OL have been prolific in the previous rounds of this competition, scoring at least twice in their last three matches against Toulouse, Brest and last time Lille. They will need that potency against the reigning champions.
Conclusion
PSG are still by far the best team in France, even if they are temporary without the services of Mbappe and can no longer call upon Cavani. We are backing the PSG win, as it seems pretty short odds considering the players that PSG have available to them. We are also expecting goals, so are backing over 2.5 goals scored. It would be a major surprise if it was a tight, low-scoring affair.
Verdict: We are backing PSG to win at odds of 1/2 and/or over 2.5 goals scored at odds of 4/9. (All odds are taken from Bet365)
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Will PSG complete a clean sweep of the domestic trophies in France?