CdF : Nice vs Lyon

Two teams. Two coaches who count on the Coupe de France to salvage their record at the end of the season. Granted, Nice is in a far worse position than Lyon; but when you’re coaching Lyon, you’re expected to win the title, or, at the very least, to be qualified for the Champions League. So both coaches will have pressure and excellent reasons not to take this game lightly.

This Coupe de France appears to be a breath of fresh air for the Riviera side, who have just recruited David Bellion during the winter transfer window. Yet in the last 64, they came close to a correction in Creteil, winning their qualification at the end of a penalty shootout against this modest club from the National division (1-1, 6-5 after penalties). And in the league, Eric Roy’s players are stuck in 15th position with a series of four games without a victory and glaring problems on the offensive side (19th and second worst attack in the L1). Last weekend against Lille, Anthony Mounier’s teammates lost 2-0 at home; they surely will want to bounce back to avoid reliving such disappointment on Sunday night in front of their fiery supporters at the Stade du Ray. And N°2 Nice goalkeeper, former French international and ex N°1 PSG keeper Lionel Letizi, for one, will do his best to resist against the Rhône squad, as otherwise it would probably the very last game of his footballing career.

About to play against a L1 team for the second time in a row, and winners 1-0 at Caen in the previous round, Lyon prepare to return against a team they have many ties with. Hugo Lloris and Ederson will be pleased to return to their former stadium; from the Niçois side, it will also be no ordinary day for François Clerc and Anthony Mounier, for whom it is always very special to meet with your first club, and who insists he has no regrets for having left Lyon, except maybe when OL reached the CL semi finals last season. At OGC Nice, despite flattering stats (2d best passer of L1, involved in more than half of his team’s goals) he never got the exposure he enjoyed in Lyon, even though he started in 20 games and was the only field player in this case; it became particularly true when former coach Didier Olle Nicolle was ditched in favor of former Nice but also OL player Eric Roy. No doubt will he exchange text messages before the game with his Lyon mates Réveillère, Gonalons and several staff members.

Playing against another L1 team is a double edge sword, explained Puel this week. On the one hand, it is easier to motivate the players (many big guns would agree, after falling against much smaller teams whom their players took too lightly); on the other, quality of the pitch aside, the games themselves are much more difficult to win. So we should expect a fully motivated squad, and, despite the Niçois appetite for a trophy and the frenzy of their supporters, in the light of the previous two games and a newfound good footballing level, everyone expects Lyon to win this encounter. Indeed, for their third game in 2011, OL will almost be at full strength. Only Ederson will miss the call against his former club. A potential headache for Claude Puel who will have ample opportunity to align the best starting lineup this weekend. After the fine performance offered at the Stade Gerland on Saturday against Lorient, all the supporters of the club hope to see their team maintain the same level of play and keep their claws just as sharp.

The Lyonnais : Lloris, Vercoutre – Réveillère, Gassama, Cissokho, Cris, Diakhaté, Lovren – Toulalan, Gonalons, Källström, Grenier, Gourcuff, Bastos, Delgado, Pjanic, – Pied, Briand, Gomis, Lisandro.
The Nice squad : Letizi, Ospina – Cantareil, Civelli, Clerc, Mabiala, Paisley, Pejcinovic – Coulibaly, Digard, Faé, Sablé, Traoré – Bamogo, Bellion, Ljuboja, Mouloungui, Mounier

Some Related Lyon Posts:

Category: Competitions, Former Lyonnais, French Cups (CdL, CdF, TdC), Ligue 1, Media, People, Pictures, Previews/Reviews, Team News and Rumors