PSG vs. Lyon: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Paris Saint-Germain have started 2016 brightly. They got the job done against Wasquehal in the Coupe de France and then continued their great league form with a 2-0 home win over SC Bastia on Friday night.
On Wednesday, they face Olympique Lyonnais as they try to retain the Coupe de la Ligue trophy they lifted last season, but the signs are that the quarter-final won’t be as plain sailing as it was when Lyon last visited the Parc des Princes in December.
Hubert Fournier was relieved of his duties as head coach after the 2-1 defeat away at Gazelec. His assistant Bruno Genesio has taken control, and the recent signs have been very positive.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Kicking off with a 7-0 win in the Coupe de France against Limoges, everyone was keen not to get carried away, and even though Troyes are bottom of Ligue 1, starting life in their new stadium with a 4-1 win is the ideal way to warm up for this cup clash.
PSG ran out 5-1 winners when they last met and Lyon failed to turn up. It will be a huge barometer of how much a difference Genesio has made in the short time he has been in charge, but PSG still start the tie as strong favourites.
Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Time: 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m ET)
Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris
TV Info: BT Sport (UK), beIN Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)
Form Lines
| Paris Saint-Germain | Olympique Lyonnais |
| PSG 1-0 Saint-Etienne - Coupe de la Ligue | PSG 5-1 Lyon - Ligue 1 |
| Caen 3-0 PSG - Ligue 1 | Lyon 2-1 Tours - Coupe de la Ligue |
| Inter 0-1 PSG - Friendly | Gazelec 2-1 Lyon - Ligue 1 |
| Wasquehal 0-1 PSG - Coupe de France | Limoges 0-7 Lyon - Coupe de France |
| PSG 2-0 Bastia - Ligue 1 | Lyon 4-1 Troyes - Ligue 1 |
For the visitors, Maxime Gonalons and Claudio Beauvue missed Monday’s training session, via the official Lyon website (in French), and will be doubts to start on Wednesday. Mathieu Valbuena will miss out, as he is continuing to recover, but the game comes too soon. Without Gonalons, expect Jordan Ferri or Steed Malbranque to play in the centre of Lyon’s three-man midfield.
Thiago Silva is likely to be rested on Wednesday after picking up a knock, with Marquinhos the obvious replacement in the heart of the defence.
This game will also give Blanc an opportunity to return Javier Pastore to the starting XI—plus provide minutes to some of the less-used members of the squad.
PSG (4-3-3): Salvatore Sirigu; Gregory van der Wiel, Marquinhos, David Luiz; Layvin Kurzawa; Adrien Rabiot, Benjamin Stambouli, Javier Pastore; Lucas Moura, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Edinson Cavani
Lyon (4-3-3): Mathieu Gorgelin; Christophe Jallet, Bakary Kone, Samuel Umtiti, Jeremy Morel; Jordan Ferri, Steed Malbranque, Corentin Tolisso; Maxwell Cornet, Alexandre Lacazette, Aldo Kalulu
Player to Watch
Lyon were given a huge boost on Saturday when centre-back Samuel Umtiti was able to start against Troyes. He played against Limoges in the cup, but that was his first league game back since the 3-0 win over Saint-Etienne at the start of November.
In the nine games that the France under-21 international missed, Lyon conceded 19 goals. Les Gones had only conceded 14 games all season in comparison—highlighting just how important the 22-year-old is to how his club performs.
Umtiti is a leader all over the pitch: commanding in the air, strong in the tackle and he also has the ability to bring the ball out of defence with confidence and composure.
No matter what combination Blanc starts with on Wednesday, Umtiti will be taking on the best attack in France. It would be a shock to see them concede five with their best defender in the back line.
Key Battle
If Blanc decides to rest Angel Di Maria on Wednesday, it could give Brazilian Lucas Moura the chance to play on the right of the attack. That gives Genesio a difficult choice on the left of his defence. It’s not just the Brazilian’s space and dribbling ability that will cause problems, but it’s his tendency to drift, come central and play between the lines.
To cover him, you need a defender with mobility and intelligence—a player able to track his runs and help communicate with the midfielders, helping them restrict Lucas’ space. Jeremy Morel started against Troyes, and he may be the best option on Wednesday. He can also play at centre-back, and he is perhaps the better defensive option than someone like Henri Bedimo. The Cameroonian is great going forward and provides Lyon with strength in defence—however, he may not be the best at tracking the forward’s smart movement.
One other possibility would be to play the versatile Tolisso in that position, but you then lose his presence in the midfield. It’s a hard decision to balance, but winning the battle in the middle of the park is just as important.
He may not be in the best run of form, but if you give Lucas too much space and let him run at your defence, he can provide moments of magic—at his best, he can be unstoppable.
Odds (via Odds Checker)
Home win: 1/3
Away win: 10/1
Draw: 5/1
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
