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We have the champions of France taking on the team that has collected the most points since appointing their manager in early December as PSG face Lyon in the Coupe de France final.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Saturday 25th May, 2024 - UK – 20:00 / US EST – 15:00 / US PST – 13:00
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: This match will be televised live on TNT Sports in the UK. / This match will be televised live on FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Deportes in the US.
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: This match will be streamed live via the TNT Sports app in the UK. / This match will be streamed live via Fubo and DirecTV Stream.
LYON PREVIEW: A STUNNING TURNAROUND
It was a distrasous summer for John Textor and Olympique Lyonnais but the seven-time French champions have majorly improved since the appointment of Pierre Sage in early December, who found the giants in the bottom two and the automatic relegation places after the sackings of both Laurent Blanc and Fabio Grosso in the opening few months.
They confirmed European qualification no matter what happens this weekend by defeating Strasbourg by two goals to one on the final day of the season last season and somehow finishing sixth. Since Sage became Lyon boss, they have played 25 matches across all competitions and have won 20 of those games.
PSG PREVIEW: POSSIBILITY OF FAILURE
Just over a month ago, Luis Enrique discussed the possibility of a fairytale farewell for Kylian Mbappe by winning a treble before he departs for his long-awaited move to Real Madrid. However, since then, things, as so often happens in the French capital, have turned sour and things are ending with a bit of a whimper this season.
The Parisiens suffered a 2-0 aggregate loss to Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League and their final day defeat of relegation playoff side Metz last weekend followed a 2-1 win in Nice which ended a four-match winless run of form and a run of just three victories in nine matches across all competitions.
LYON TEAM NEWS: FULLY FIT
It does appear, at this stage, that Olympique Lyonnais will have a fully fit and available squad for this final and Pierre Sage will therefore be able to select his absolute best possible eleven to bring silverware back to Lyon.
PREDICTED XI (4-1-4-1): Lopes; Clinton Mata, O’Brien, Caleta-Car, Tagliafico; Matic; Cherki, Caqueret, Tolisso, Benrahma; Lacazette
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE:
PSG TEAM NEWS: MBAPPE MISSING
Kylian Mbappe bid farewell to the Parc des Princes crowd a couple of weeks ago and the France captain has since suffered a hamstring injury that is expected to see him miss this weekend’s final alongside fellow attacker Ousmane Dembele.
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Mendes; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Manuel Ugarte; Barcola, Ramos, Marco Asensio
UNAVAILABLE: Sergio Rico (Injured), Kimpembe (Injured), Hernandez (Injured), Dembele (Injured), Mbappe (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
LYON VS PSG PREDICTION
The casual observer or punter will see PSG in a French Cup final and view it as a foregone conclusion and, quite frankly, with the talent at their disposal, that should still be the case. However, Lyon have matched them and even bettered them in the last six months so there is no reason following the form guide to expect that to happen. This is a cup final, though, and the form guide, forgive the cliché, gets tossed out the window. PSG should win, as they should win every single domestic match they play in, but Lyon will not be pushovers like they were in the league clash between the two last month. Both teams scoring seems a good bet for what should be a genuinely entertaining final.
LYON VS PSG TIP: BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE