Lyon vs Paris Saint-Germain - How Will PSG React To Last Tuesday's Champions League Setback?

Next Sunday the all-powerful Paris Saint-Germain will travel to Stade Gerland to go head-to-head with Lyon for round 33 of French Ligue 1 on what will certainly be the most important match of the weekend.

Last Tuesday’s defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge has certainly left some open wounds at Laurent Blanc’s side. The French champions travelled to London with a comfortable 3-1 advantage from the first leg match but after a somehow mediocre performance every single moment of glory from the Parc des Princes’ match soon vanished away. Laurent Blanc was clearly upset at the end of the match and if it wasn’t enough having to deal with a sour defeat, he also had to put up with a sarcastic supporter that was on the stands with an Emil Kostadinov’s Bulgaria shirt (the man that scored the goal that sent Bulgaria to the 1994 World Cup at the expenses of the French side and Blanc was the last defender who tried to tackle him before he netted in his country’s decisive goal) taunting the French manager as he walked by.

Despite the European upset, PSG are going through a fantastic moment at Ligue 1 with eight wins on the last eight matches. Next Sunday, even without Ibrahimovic, the French capital side will probably not have many difficulties in defeating a Lyon side that are currently at the 5th place of the table, twenty-eight points behind PSG.

For next Sunday’s match, Laurent Blanc will not able to count on his team’s main star, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, due to injury, and on Verratti, who is suspended.

As for Lyon, next Sunday’s match will be of major importance if they still want to reach Saint-Etienne at the fourth place of the table, thus granting a place at the UEFA competitions next season. Les Gones are very far from begin that team that delighted football fans about twelve years ago and their performances this season have been marked by some inconsistency. Last weekend, they grabbed an important victory at Vallencienes after having sucumbed at the expense of Saint-Etienne two weeks ago.

Remi Garde’s side will have to be at their very best if they want to take something positive from next Sunday’s match against PSG and if they don’t want to withstand the burden of yet another shameful defeat, as it happened last November when they visited Parc des Princes and were hammered by 4-0.

For next Sunday’s clash, Remi Garde will not be able to count on the Portuguese right back Miguel Lopes, on the defenders Milan Bisevac and Dabo, and on the French midfielders Fofana and Yoann Gourcuff, all sidelined due to injury.

Despite the at-home last weekend’s win, Paris Saint-Germain should not experience any major difficulties to defeat a Lyon side drowned in injury problems and constantly baffled by inconsistent performances.

Lyon

Stats: W-14 L-9 D-9

Recent Form - WLWLW

PSG

Stats: W-24 L-1 D-7

Recent Form - WWWWW

Possible Line-ups

Lyon (4-4-2) - Lopes - Bedimo - Kone - Sarr - Zeffane - Malbranque - Gonalons - Tolisso - Danic - Gomis - Briand

Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3) – Sirigu - Jallet - Thiago Silva - Alex - Maxwell - Motta - Matuidi - Cabaye - Lavezzi - Cavani - Ibrahimovic

Prediction: Lyon 1 PSG 2