LIGUE 1 WEEKEND EXAMPLE: This season Moussa Dembele runs Lyon for a crucial trip to Lille
France has only three Champions League spots and two of them are more or less nailed. Paris Saint-Germain rushes towards another title, while Marseille is looking for a second place.
It leaves that third place, currently occupied by Rennes, firm for the taking and Lyon’s trip to Lille on Sunday evening can give us a strong indication of who could cross the finish line. The seven-time Ligue 1 winners almost want to keep their heads above water in the race to remain in Europe’s biggest competition next season, and Moussa Dembele is the responsible man.
Lyon was beaten 5-1 by PSG in the Coupe de France on Wednesday-evening, summarizing their up and down season. But their frontman was crucial in 2020 and inspired them in a recent series of three consecutive wins – including a 1-0 win over Juventus in the Champions League. Dembele has four goals in his last four league games and has sometimes worn Lyon.
Moussa Dembele’s goals have sometimes worn Lyon as they fight to finish in the top three
The former Celtic man has scored more than a third of the team’s 42 goals in Ligue 1 and no other Lyon player can match his 16 in the league. Memphis Depay is the second highest scorer in nine, but is excluded with injuries until the end of the season.
Maxwel Cornet has the third best record with four, which describes their dependence on Dembele. His value for the team was crystal clear when he struck twice against St-Etienne to lift the side further on the table.
But his manager Rudi Garcia believes that the 23-year-old still has to shoot at all cylinders and has more to give – admitted that he once bid on him when he was manager of Marseille. “Moussa is growing up,” he said Corriere dello Sport. “But it is still early to know its true potential. In any case, I am very happy to be able to train him, because I had tried to take him to Marseille. ”
He was affiliated with Chelsea but committed to Lyon, and his form will make the club grateful
The Frenchman scored 16 times in Ligue 1 – more than a third of the number of goals scored by his team
The Frenchman was associated with a move to Chelsea in the transfer window in January, but eventually remained seated after joining the team until the end of the current campaign.
“I am a player from Lyon and I will stay until the end of the season,” he said. “Everything is said, but it’s up to me to ignore it and stay focused on the field.”
He showed Lyon why they were so desperate to hold him with a clinical 2020.
He has 12 goals in all competitions this year, with 22 in general, and is Lyon’s best weapon in their fight against Lille.
But Lille has its own powerful tools. The men of Christophe Galtier have compiled an impressive series of results with five victories in six competition matches and are reinforced by the shape of their attackers.
Lille has its own threats for the collision with attackers Loic Remy and Victor Osimhen
Young striker Victor Osimhen has 18 in all competitions, with three coming in his last six, including one assist. The 21-year-old has remained consistent throughout the campaign, with his goals of securing 13 points only for Lille.
Another target threat they have at their disposal is former Chelsea and Newcastle frontman Loic Remy, remember?
The Frenchman, who started his career at Lyon, has not pulled any trees since joining in 2018, but he is always dangerous and able to help. This season, he split half of his count in the league and the other half in the cups, with 13 in total and four in his last eight games.
The team is in great shape for the race to secure a Champions League spot next season
Lille will be fully aware of their match against Lyon, a match that they cannot afford. The fourth placed side is just one point away from Rennes and their opponents are in fifth place just behind them this weekend.
It is becoming increasingly exciting in the race to finish in the top three and we can get a clearer picture of who has the best chance of getting it done after the two meet in the Stade Pierre Mauroy.
Their last race was not long ago, because Lyon came to the top in January in the semi-final of the Coupe de la Ligue. Dembele and Remy were both on the scoreboard before Lyon triumphed on penalties. Lille will take this time-out for revenge, but in Ligue 1 the odds are in favor, since Lyon has not been beating them since 2016.
Dembele was on goal when the teams played in January when Lyon won in the Coupe de la Ligue
That miserable run has seen three draws and three Lille wins – all in the backyard of Lyon, so the seven-time competition champion has the chance to pay back the favor on Sunday.
Lyon boss Rudi Garcia, who led Lille to a league and cup double in 2011, made only one change to St-Etienne’s 2-0 win against PSG on Wednesday, so his pack will have to shake to make everyone tick. He doesn’t have to worry about new injuries, but both Marcelo and Lucas Tousart are only one yellow card away from a suspension.
Lille is still without the injured Yusuf Yazici and Timothy Weah, but should have the lead after having had a full week of rest since their 1-0 win at Nantes.
ELSEWHERE THIS WEEKEND
PSG Neymar will be able to call in again for this weekend’s trip to the mid-table side Strasbourg after the Brazilian star had served a suspension of one game during the win over Dijon.
The former Barcelona ace received a second yellow for a result in a 4-3 win over Bordeaux, but his teammates did not look forward to missing him because they were racing for a 4-0 win against Dijon.
Kylian Mbappe grabbed a brace and an assist, with Mauro Icardi pushing forward with the Parisians showing that they are not one-trick ponies. Mbappe also stole the show in the semi-final of the Coupe de France during the midweek, taking a hat-trick against Lyon in the 5-1 romps, with Neymar starting the game and scoring a penalty.
Kylian Mbappe mitigated the absence of Neymar by scoring a brace against Dijon last weekend
Marseille hope that the runaway leaders will continue to put pressure on PSG and keep their hold on second when they welcome uneasily Amiens in the first game of the weekend on Friday evening.
The men of Andre Villas Boas will be excited after four victories in their last five and hope for a good show against a struggling party that has not won in the competition since the beginning of November.
On Saturday night, Angers Strive for three consecutive wins when faced Nantesand the victory would make them jump into the table with just one point separating the two. Angers see their season derailed after they started so positively and are now stuck at the mid-table, but are still just four points behind in fifth place.
A bottom of the table conflict looks like Dijon host the basement boys of Ligue 1 like a lucky guy Toulouse arrive like dead men walking.
The violets stopped the run of 11 consecutive defeats with a 0-0 draw last month at Amiens, but have since lost another five in a row – their last goal in January. It’s just a matter of time before their relegation is confirmed.
Monaco is doing well under boss Roberto Moreno while they continue their European push
Metz have a good opportunity to put themselves out of danger while playing Nimes, who had threatened a revival but suffered two defeats in a row.
A battle between the sea and the Cote d’Azur derby takes shape Monaco to Nice while they continue their attack on the top six. The men of Roberto Moreno are seven points away from a place in the Champions League, but will be sure to conquer a place in the Europa League. However, a victory for Patrick Vieira’s outfit would make them jump over Monaco.
And Reims hope this weekend to keep their place in the upper half of the table when they play at home against mid-table Brest.
Claude Puel’s St-Etienne started well under his leadership, but is now heading towards the bottom three for their game against Bordeaux on Sundays while surprise package Rennes have a tough game against Montpellier with their third place in danger.
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