What: French Ligue 1
Who: Marseille vs Lyon
When: Sunday 5th February, 2012, at 20:00 UK Time
Where: Stade Velodrome, Marseille, France
The Only Way Is Up
These two teams will be meeting in the Coupe de la Ligue final after both won their semi-finals in midweek, and Marseille will hope that home advantage can give them the chance to strike a psychological blow ahead of that clash.
Marseille have been in impressive form since beating Paris Saint-Germain at the end of November, and are 12 games unbeaten in all competitions, including eight wins in a row heading into this weekend’s game. However, they come into the clash with Lyon short up front. The Ayew brothers are both at the African Cup of Nations representing Ghana and the victory over Nice in the week came at a price: Mathieu Valbuena was sent off and will miss the Lyon match.
Valbuena has arguably been Marseille’s key man this term, even when they endured an horrific start. He was responsible for most of their assists then, and with the Ayew brothers away, his creativity has been vital. With 11 assists to his name, he has more than any other player in Ligue 1 and the pressure will fall ever more on the shoulders of Loic Remy to not only score the goals, but also create them. Nine points adrift of PSG, this is a game Marseille cannot afford not to win to keep alive slim title hopes.
Evolution the Name of the Game for Garde
Remi Garde’s men sit just a point ahead of Marseille in Ligue 1 and inconsistency may have wrecked their hopes of the title. Costly defeats such as a 1-0 reverse to Valenciennes before Christmas have left Les Gones struggling to keep up with Paris Saint-Germain and Montpellier. But they are in contention in all four competitions, having reached the final of the Coupe de la Ligue, the last 16 of the Coupe de France and the same stage of the Champions League.
Garde has failed to get the best out of arguably his most talented player, Yoann Gourcuff, but that to some extent has been assuaged by the fine form of some of his youngsters. Clement Grenier, Maxime Gonalons and Gueida Fofana have been impressive in midfield, as has Alexandre Lacazette up front. Bafa Gomis and Lisandro Lopez give Garde’s men the potency needed to find the net, but a still creaky backline lets them down.
That defence has been stretched recently with Bakary Kone and John Mensah at the African Cup of Nations, whilst Diego Lovren and Cris have been injured, forcing Gonalons to fill in at centre back. Cris should be back but the suspicion remains that age is catching up with him.
Recent form
Marseille:
Marseille 3-1 Le Havre (22/01; Coupe de France)
Rennes 1-2 Marseille (29/01; Ligue 1)
Marseille 2-1 Nice (01/02; Coupe de la Ligue)
Lyon:
Vendee Lucon 0-2 Lyon (22/01; Coupe de France)
Lyon 3-1 Dijon (28/01; Ligue 1)
Lorient 2-4 Lyon (31/01; Coupe de la Ligue)
Key absences
Marseille: Andre Ayew (international duty); Jordan Ayew (international duty); Mathieu Valbuena (suspended)
Lyon: Diego Lovren (doubt); Bakary Kone; John Mensah
Players to watch
Marseille – Loic Remy: Marseille will be looking to Remy to create something, anything, as they have run out of players seemingly capable of doing so in recent weeks. The untimely suspension of Valbuena means that Remy, not only their top scorer but the player most likely after him to provide assists, has the pressure of carrying Didier Deschamps’ men this weekend. Arguably he has done that for much of the season, but the Marseille resurgence has had much to do with the Ayew brothers helping to weigh in with goals and assists either side of Remy.
Lyon – Michel Bastos: Lyon will hope to monopolise possession if possible and have the goalscoring threat to cause Marseille problems. But breaking down a stubborn defence will be the biggest challenge at the Velodrome. Bastos is the key goal creator in the Lyon team and he is quite useful at popping up with crucial strikes from time to time as well. If Garde’s men can get their way onto the scoresheet, the powerful yet skilful Brazilian must be tipped to be involved somehow or other.
Match Prediction
A game neither side can really afford to lose if they want to win the title but it is also a battle between two teams who are desperate to be in next season’s Champions League. With Lille, Montpellier and PSG ahead of them, that will be an uphill task for either, but this game will go some way to determining who lives to fight another day in that particular battle.
Marseille are deprived of much of their creative talent and have looked staid at times this season, even with the Ayews and Valbuena. Without them, much pressure will fall to Remy to create something for himself. A solid defence has been what their revival has been based on, but without the attacking talents that have driven them up the league after an awful start, Lyon may smell blood. Gomis, Lopez and the ever reliable Michel Bastos are a handful going forward and Garde’s side have enough to pinch a goal and the points. Marseille 0-1 Lyon.
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