Preview: Lyon vs. Paris Saint-Germain

facing very tough challenges French Cup qualifications, Paris Saint-Germain Rejuvenated lyon They must win Saturday’s final to complete the domestic double.

Le Gon, on the other hand, have already convinced themselves of the most unlikely possibility of qualifying for the Europa League and can now condemn them to leave. Kylian Mbappe A farewell to the miserable Parisians.

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Forget about the first half and second half games, the 2023-24 season will be a difficult one for Lyon, who were in danger of relegation after an embarrassing start to the season, and after a crushing defeat to PSG in September It was the year of the first-half and second-half games, where there was a memorable incident where he was reprimanded in the field.

But any magic Pierre Sage The strategy, which took place at the Groupma Stadium, had more of an impact than expected, as Lyon left their former relegation rivals behind and incredibly moved into the top six with four straight wins at the end of the season.

Monaco, Lille, Clermont and Strasbourg all fell to the superiority of Sage’s side, who beat Lens. 6th place in the standings And thanks to a remarkable turnaround in fortunes they will qualify for the Europa League league phase next season. In the second half of the season, no team managed to earn more points than Lyon’s 40 from 18 games.

Coincidentally, recent Ligue 1 losers Lille and Strasbourg were also among Lyon’s losers in this year’s Coupe de France. The list also includes clubs from three lower leagues: Pontarlier, Bergerac and Valenciennes, with Lyon reaching the final of France’s top competition for the ninth time.

Lyon, five-time Coupe de France winners, have won each of their last two appearances in the high-profile competition, but their last rise to stardom was in 2011-12. . Lisandro Lopez He was the winner of the match against Kuvii.

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But if Lyon’s recent rise to the top is in vain at the Stade de France, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) could return as their next opponents, a whopping 14 times lower, with three times as many Coupe de France wins as they held the crown aloft this year.

Of course, no other French team can match PSG’s unparalleled Coupe de France winning record – their closest rival is Marseille, who have won it 10 times – but the Parisians have not won the competition in nearly three years, last winning when they beat Monaco in the 2021 final.

The success gives the capital giants a sixth honour in seven seasons – the only exception being a penalty shootout defeat to Rennes in the 2019 final – but they have since suffered two premature exits in the last 16, losing to Nice in 2021-22 and to Marseille last season.

The Champions League trophy does not yet have PSG’s name on it, Luis EnriqueThe team defended their Ligue 1 title with ease, regaining confidence with back-to-back wins against Nice (2-1) and Metz (2-0) to close out their top-flight campaign.

The shutout of the latter ended PSG’s worrying run of 10 games without a clean sheet, with the reigning Ligue 1 champions crushing Sage’s side 4-1 in both league games in the 2023-24 season. However, the only previous match was the Coupe de France final and Les Re. In 2008, Gones played in 102 minutes of extra time in Lyon’s 1-0 victory. Sydney Gouveur winner.

Lyon Coupe de France form:

Lyon form (all competitions):

Paris Saint-Germain Coupe de France form:

Paris Saint-Germain form (all competitions):

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Despite receiving a yellow card and a suspension in the win over Strasbourg, he took off his shirt after scoring the decisive penalty in the dying minutes of stoppage time. Alexandre LacazetteHis one-game suspension will carry over until the start of next season, allowing him to spearhead the Goins’ attack on Saturday.

The former Arsenal striker is still leading the line 12 years on from assisting Lopez’s winner in the 2012 final and Sage’s team are in good health with no new health concerns on the final day of the Ligue 1 season.

So the only real selection dilemma for the Lyon manager is a choice between the two as first-choice stopper. Anthony Lopez He was selected for Les Gones’ first two cup matches, Lucas Perry He has started the last three games and has prevented Strasbourg’s penalty kick. thomas delane in the quarterfinal shootout.

Speaking of France’s basic attacker, soon-to-be Real Madrid player Mbappé was conspicuously absent from the match-day squad against Metz in what was supposed to be his farewell appearance in Ligue 1. According to reports, he only rested as a precautionary measure and will enjoy playing for PSG in his swan song this weekend.

A selection of other notable people – including Gianluigi Donnarumma, Fabian Ruiz, Vicinha, Ousmane Dembele and marquinhos – should also return to the ranks, but Lucas Hernandez (ACL), Sergio Rico (Head) and Presnel Kimpembe (Achilles) plays no role.

Mbappe won’t be the only respected figure leaving PSG next month – the goalkeeper. Keylor Navas also announced his departure, but he has been on the bench since the last 16 stage and is likely already playing his last game as Ligue 1 holders.

Lyon’s expected starting lineup:
Lopez. Mata, O’Brien, Caleta Carr, and Tagliafico. Kakure, Matic, Tolisso. Cherki, Lacazette, Benrahma

Google News Prediction: Lyon 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain

PSG’s two wins over Lyon in Ligue 1 in the 2023-24 season may have put them in the realm of heavy defeats, but Sager’s resurgent squad has helped Paris get off the ground a bit, especially with so little left in the season. There is no doubt that they will put up an extraordinary match against Enrique’s team on Saturday.

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