Lyon vs. Rennes: Avoiding Another Pagician Show

By: Inara | February 28th, 2009

The last time Lyon played Rennes was in October, when Rennes handed Lyon a rather humiliating 3-0 defeat. The sole mastermind of that encounter was ex-Marseille striker Mickaël Pagis, who will always be remembered by the rest of France as the guy who ~~dealt a blow~~ scored a hat trick against the evil Lyon Empire. That game, like tomorrow’s, came on the heels of a midweek Champions League game.

All I can say now, is NOT AGAIN PLEASE.

March 1, 2009
Stade de Gerland, Lyon
3 PM ET (21:00 CET, 20:00 GMT)

Match Background:

It’s really important not to underestimate Rennes. They are a smart team who know how to utilize their strong midfield against more technical teams. I remember watching that October loss and being so dumbfounded at how easily they were bossing OL all over the pitch. It was truly a WTF moment because – and no disrespect to Rennes – back then they were a midtable side that seemed mediocre at best. Of course, after their win, they began an undefeated streak that ended only last month. It was enough to make them serious title contenders for a time, and they are certainly on target for a European spot for next season.

They still have their eye on a UEFA Cup spot, or even more ambitious, a spot in the Champions League. We’ve played them enough times now to recognize their danger players – Bruno Cheyrou, Jerome Leroy, and Stephane Mbia (remember him?) boss things in midfield while Jimmy Briand, Olivier Thomert, and Mickaël Pagis take care of things up front. They did lose John Mensah to us, but they have Rod Fanni and Peter Hansson, and they signed Carlos Bocanegra (an American – yay!) last summer. Sylvain Marveaux and Kader Mangane, as well as Thomert and Leroy, are out with injury.

Right now, Rennes are in 7th place, only four points off of third. They have ten wins, twelve draws, and three losses. They aren’t the most prolific team, having only scored 27 goals, but they are tied with Lyon for best defense, with only 16 goals conceded.

Lyon have a six point cushion over second placed Toulouse, but three of their four closest rivals also play tomorrow, so that gap could be cut in half. They have fifteen wins, seven draws, and three losses, and have scored 35 goals while conceding 16. With many tough games coming up, Lyon need to get all three points, especially since this is a home game for them. It will be difficult because the team is still fatigued from their midweek excursion against Barcelona, but Puel should be able to accomplish it if he is smart with squad turnover.

Lyon info:

I’m not sure why Lyon sign so many fragile players. It’s like they get hurt tying their shoes. This week it’s Cesar Delgado, who is suffering a muscle strain. He gets to join Fabio Santos, Sidney Govou, Francois Clerc, Mathieu Bodmer, and Anthony Reveillere on the sidelines.

Le groupe lyonnais: Lloris, Vercoutre – Boumsong, Cris, Gassama, Grosso, Mensah – Juninho, Källström, Makoun, Pied, Pjanic, Toulalan – Benzema, Ederson, Keita, Mounier, Piquionne.

Yannis Tafer didn’t make the squad this week. Instead, his place is taken by Jeremy Pied, another one of Lyon’s young attackers. John Mensah is also back from his suspension.

Expected lineup:

Lloris
Mensah – Cris – Boumsong – Grosso
Toulalan – Kallstrom
Keita – Pjanic – Mounier
Piquionne

It’s possible that Lamine Gassama might start at RB and that Fabio Grosso will be rested, but Lyon have a French Cup game next Wednesday, so it’s more likely that Puel will wait until then to rotate his defense.

In midfield, Puel only needs only two central midfielders on the pitch. With Rennes missing two of their key midfielders, Lyon can focus a little less on containing them and more on making things work upfront, which has been the problem all season. My vote goes with Jeremy Toulalan and Kim Kallstrom, with Juninho and Jean II Makoun taking their places next Wednesday.

Up front, Karim Benzema played the entire ninety minutes against Barcelona, so it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll start. At most, he’ll be brought on in the second half if Lyon are still goalless. Frederic Piquionne is the obvious (and only) choice to replace him. I’m guessing we’ll also see Miralem Pjanic and Anthony Mounier get another start – both are young and haven’t been able to do more than show glimpses of their potential this season. Either Kader Keita or Ederson will fill the remaining position.

Ultimately, everything hinges on what Puel is planning for the next ten days. Lyon face Lille midweek in the round of 16 in the Coupe de France, then they face Lille again the following Saturday in a league match, and then the following Wednesday, they take on Barca again. That’s a lot of crucial games that need to be taken into consideration.

Viewing options:

This game will be broadcast live on Setanta and Setanta Broadband. You can also find streams here.

Expected result:

While I’m hoping for a win, I think a 0-0 is more likely. I just don’t see this tired Lyon team able to muster the sort of attack required to penetrate a team with such a cohesive defense.