Marseille vs Lyon : Is the nightmare over yet?

Pinch me, I must have been having a nightmare. In this dream, an utterly passive Lyon got battered by a superb Toulouse. Nonexistent in the first half, OL tried to react but was logically punished by an opponent superior in many areas. The brief championship leader lost its top spot and will have to go and fight Marseille to remain well placed. (Because Lyon simply has a crazy program before the winter break, as OM, then Montpellier, Saint-Etienne, Nancy, Nice and PSG are on Les Gones roadmap)

But that Toulouse hammering wasn’t reality, I must have been sleeping. Malbranque exiled on the left, the forwards deprived of balls, not a single OL shot in the first half: can’t be real, can it?

But now I’m awake and wondering what to expect tonight. This summit of the two Olympiques, or Olympico as it’s sometimes called in France, should have taken place exactly one month ago, in the 10th matchday. But due to extreme wind conditions, it had to be postponed. And today, despite heavy rains currently affecting Marseille, there is “no concern” for the Marseille-Lyon game according to OM. That’s good because this game is eagerly awaited by most football fans and observers: witith more than 3 goals per game in the championship, matches between Marseille and Lyon are often spectacular. But, given all the injuries and the team Garde had to compose as a consequence, which Lyon team will show up tonight?

The teams:
Having to cope with a string of bad news (Lovren injured, then Lisandro) Rémi Garde was hoping to have Michel Bastos and Yoann Gourcuff to face ever dangerous Marseille tonight. But the lyonnais coach won’t be able to build on either of these two assets from kickoff as Gourcuff is injured abd therefore not on the scoresheet. As for our mysterious Brazilian, he will sit on the bench. So the surprise of the chef, the young Rachid Ghezzal will take the left side, while Alexandre Lacazette taking the right. Clément Grenier will play in support of the Gomis in what should be a 4-2-3-1.

On the Marseille side, there are no surprises in the starting lineup. Elie Baup should change his team in 4-3-2-1 and probably with the same players who beat Lille on Sunday (1-0). This means that Joey Barton will play its third game in less than a week and Jordan Ayew will again be the striker. The Ghanean will be supported by his brother Andrew and Mathieu Valbuena. So, as was the case versus Lille, former OL promising young Loïc Rémy will start on the bench.

MARSEILLE : Mandanda – Fanni, Diawara, Nkoulou, Morel – Barton, Kaboré, Cheyrou – Valbuena, A. Ayew – J. Ayew

LYON : Vercoutre – Réveillère, Bisevac, Umtiti, Dabo – Gonalons, Malbranque – Lacazette, Grenier, Ghezzal – Gomis

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Category: Team News and Rumors