Ligue 1
Lyon vs Marseille Preview
Olympique Lyon will host Marseille on Sunday in a bid to end their slow start to the season. Lyon are currently 11th on the league table having won 2, lost 2 and drawn 1 of their opening 5 games. Marseille however are in better shape. They have won 3, drawn 1 and lost one of their first 5 fixtures. The home side are 3 points behind their fellow title contenders. Lyon vs Marseille is certainly the most high octane gameweek 6 fixture in Ligue 1. Despite Marseille having a better start than Lyon domestically, Lyon will be looking to carry their Champions League form into this game. Lyon go into this clash with a huge morale boost off the back of their incredible win against Manchester City midweek.
Squad Updates and Form
The visitors have been missing goalkeeper Steve Mandanda through a hamstring injury although he is back in training. Rolando is out for a substantial amount of time due to an Achilles tendon injury. For Lyon, Fernando Marcal was unavailable due to a calf injury but he is also back training with the team but is expected to be rested. French youngster Amine Gouiri is out till early 2019 because of a ligament injury.
Bruno Genesio’s Lyon pulled off a spectacular result against Manchester City in the Champions League and will be looking to build on that from here. Rudi Garcia’s side however suffered a loss in the Europa League. Although they have won both of their previous 2 league games rather convincingly.
Ones To Watch
The home side will be looking to attack from the start and they can rely upon their key men in Nabil Fekir, Memphis Depay and the in-form Maxwell Cornet. Marseille can look to veteran striker Konstantinos Mitroglou and his partner Valere Germain to score past Lyon. Behind the strikers they will be hoping for good shifts from Lucas Ocampos and of course Dimitri Payet.
Predictions
Though Marseille have been in relatively better form domestically than their opponents on Sunday night, the home advantage and the confidence will most likely prove as the deciding factors for Lyon. Their great record against Marseille in the league is also worth noting. In their last five Ligue 1 meetings, Lyon have won 3 and the other two have been draws. Hence, Lyon seem to be the favorites to take home the 3 points. That being said, Marseille are also a quality side and are more than capable of pulling off an away win. It will be a tough game and a treat for all the spectators.
Prediction: Olympique Lyon 2-1 Marseille
Photo credit to Lyon via Twitter
