Lyon vs Marseille
French Ligue 1
Date: Sunday, 22nd January, 2017
Kick off at 20:00 UK / 21:00 CET
Venue: Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
Can Marseille continue their rise up the Ligue 1 table with a result away to Lyon on Sunday night? This is the weekend’s big game in France, as the hosts look to boost their fading title hopes. Even worse for them, they’re set to miss out on the Champions League next season. Les Gones currently sit eight points back from third place PSG, while they’re just four clear of this weekend’s opponents. However, they do have a game in hand on both of those sides, which is against bottom side Metz.
That game in hand will be key to their push for a top three spot, but first they face an even more important fixture. Lyon need to end the recent rise of Marseille, as they can’t afford to drop any more points at this stage. Memphis Depay is coming on board to help their push for the top four, and Les Gones are prepared to part with up to £21.7million to make that happen. That’s quite a statement, as they aim to strengthen their squad for the second half of the campaign.
Lyon face a Marseille side who are making waves thanks to owner Frank McCourt’s wallet, as they chase reinforcements of their own. They’re also looking to spend big on a Premier League winger, as they’re hoping to bring Dimitri Payet back to the club. Securing the West Ham man’s services would really improve their side, as they’re a little short on quality after selling too many stars.
The visitors head here having conceded in 80% of their away trips this season, losing half of their matches on the road. They average less than a point per game on their travels, which makes them an easy target for Lyon here. The hosts desperately need the points, and any team aiming for the Champions League should be good enough to take advantage of Marseille’s away form.
Les Gones are an all or nothing side at home, winning 67% of their matches here, losing the rest. While they could do with a bit more consistency, they have won three of their last four outings at home. Given Lyon’s hit and miss home record, a draw is unlikely, plus this isn’t the kind of game L’OM win, despite their improvements since Rudi Garcia’s appointment. Their 4-1 defeat at home to Monaco laid their shortcomings bare.
Given that Lyon average an impressive 1.89 goals per game at home, while keeping a clean sheet in 44% of matches in front of their own fans, we see Les Gones being too strong here. They should be able to extend the visitors poor away form, so we’re backing them to win at 8/11 with bet365.
Lyon vs Marseille: Head to Head Stats
The last four fixtures have all finished in draws. In fact 7 of the last 10 matches have been draws. The most common correct score in these games has been 0-0 repeating 3 times. It’s been almost 10 years since Marseille recorded a victory here which was 2-1. There is a 60% chance of seeing fewer than 3 goals.
Lyon vs Marseille: Prediction
Marseille either raise their game against the bigger teams like getting a 0-0 away to PSG or just fall apart like the Monaco match. But Marseille does have a history or giving everything to the cause and will want to make a point at Lyon. We have the following two bet suggestions because picking a winner will not be easy on all the information we have.
Lyon vs Marseille: Betting Tips
Both teams to score at 7/10 (1.70)
Anytime goal scorer Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon) at 10/11 (1.
