PSG vs. Lyon, French Super Cup: Team News, Preview, Live Stream and TV Info
Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Wednesday saw Laurent Blanc’s side crowned winners of the International Champions Cup, and now they travel to Montreal to take on Olympique Lyonnais in the Trophee des Champions.
Similar to the Community Shield in England, it is the traditional curtain raiser to the Ligue 1 season, comprising of the league and cup winners. As PSG won both the Ligue 1 crown and the Coupe de France, Hubert Fournier’s team are their opponents due to finishing second in the league.
Les Gones will be hoping for an upturn in form after their disastrous showing at the Emirates Cup last week. An opening 6-0 defeat by hosts Arsenal was followed up by the 2-0 defeat to Villarreal and Lyon face going into the season under a rather dark cloud.
Although they were both only warm-up games, it is the manner of the defeat and the way the team played that will cause concerns.
Date: Saturday, August 1
Kick-Off: 8 p.m. BST, 3 p.m. EDT
TV Listings: beIN Sport (U.S.), beIN Sports 1 (France)
Live Stream: beIN Sport Connect (U.S.)
Form
PSG
ICC: Manchester United 0-2 PSG
ICC: PSG 1-1 Chelsea (5-6 pens)
ICC: PSG 4-2 Fiorentina
ICC: Benfica 2-3 PSG
Friendly: Wiener 0-3 PSG
Lyon
Friendly: Villarreal 2-0 Lyon
Friendly: Arsenal 6-0 Lyon
Friendly: Lyon 2-1 Milan
Friendly: PSV 2-0 Lyon
Friendly: FC Sion 1-0 Lyon
Possible Lineups
PSG
Kevin Trapp—Gregory van der Wiel, Serge Aurier, Thiago Silva, Maxwell—Marco Verratti, Benjamin Stambouli, Blaise Matuidi—Lucas Moura, Edinson Cavani, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Lyon
Anthony Lopes—Christophe Jallet, Bakary Kone, Samuel Umtiti, Henri Bedimo—Maxime Gonalons, Jordan Ferri, Corentin Tolisso—Clinton N’Jie, Claudio Beauvue, Alexandre Lacazette
Players to Watch
PSG: Marco Verratti
After sitting on the bench for the Manchester United game, Edinson Cavani, David Luiz and Thiago Motta could start on Saturday, but one player who will be crucial in PSG trying to get their hands on their fourth consecutive Trophee des Champions will be midfield dynamo Marco Verratti.
The Italian maestro was superb last season and, still only 22 years old, is set to play an even bigger role this season. As Thiago Motta’s PSG career looks to be coming to an end, Verratti will soon be classed as a leader of this team, especially if his on-field performances continue to improve.
Lyon: Clinton N’Jie
Last season, after the Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroonian winger Clinton N’Jie enjoyed an excellent final few weeks of the campaign. The 21-year-old is blessed with blistering pace, and if Fournier is set to play 4-3-3 this season, he could see his minutes increase and should be able to add to the seven goals he scored as Lyon finished second.
In the final six games, as Lyon tried to keep pace with PSG, N’Jie scored four and set up another two, giving the OL fans a glimpse at just what potential he possesses. This has all the makings of a breakout campaign from the youngster.
Key Battle
Lucas Moura vs. Maxime Gonalons
As he was not part of Brazil’s Copa America squad, Lucas Moura has played an increased role in PSG’s preseason tour so far, and that is set to continue on Saturday night. Although he plays on the wing, the tricky forward will constantly come inside and look to create chances in the same way Javier Pastore did so effectively last season.
The man tasked with trying to reduce the threat of Lucas will be Lyon’s captain and defensive stopper, Maxime Gonalons. The performances from the midfielder last campaign were rewarded with a recall to Didier Deschamps' France squad, and he will be hoping to build on that success, starting with a win in the Trophee des Champions.
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