Lyon-Lens is a match in the twenty-third day of Ligue 1 and is played on Sunday at 20:45: statistics, likely formations, predictions.
Lyon’s season is struggling to take off. Despite the oft-requested change on the bench and the change between Peter Bosz and Laurent Blanc, the long-awaited turnaround is yet to come. Some improvement has been glimpsed under the guidance of the former Psg coach, but the results continue to be too erratic.
The fans’ nightmare of being without a European cup for the second year in a row – a rare event in those latitudes – could therefore come true. The Gones are ninth, with eight points to make up on fifth place, the last place that guarantees participation in an international competition. This is the reason why Blanc was so keen this week to get through the Coupe de France round, which could become a primary objective should Lyon fail to gain access to Europe via Ligue 1. The one with Lille – another team in a fairly similar situation – last Wednesday was a real battle, which could not fail to end on penalties after an electrifying 2-2 draw in regulation time. Lyon came out on top, collecting their fifth consecutive useful result.
The litmus test of whether Blanc’s men can begin a ‘new’ championship is against Ligue 1 revelation Lens. The Giallorossi, however, suffered a noticeable – but in some ways predictable – slump after touching the sky with one finger thanks to the victory over Psg, which had put them back in the title race.
Frankowski and Salis of Lens
Since then the braking has been abrupt: in the last five rounds they have won only once, being joined and overtaken by Marseille and Monaco in second place. The midweek fixture restored a moment of serenity for the Sang et Or, although Franck Haise’s side needed penalties to get the better of Lorient in the cup.
The prediction
There is a good chance that Lyon will avoid defeat against a Lens side that seems to have lost some of its sparkle compared to a few weeks ago. It promises to be an enjoyable post-match, with at least one goal each.
Lyon-Lens matchday squad
- LION (4-3-1-2): Lopes; Kumbedi, Lovren, Diomandé, Tagliafico; Caqueret, Tolisso, Lepenant; Cherki; Lacazette, Barcola.
- LENS (3-4-2-1): Samba; Gradit, Danso, Medina; Frankowski, Samed, Fofana, Machado; Sotoca, Thomasson; Openda.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
