September 29, 2024. 16:00. Toulouse. Municipal Stadium
French Championship. Matchday 6.
Where to watch: RAINBOW
Injuries: Vasbauer – Niakite
Lyon made a successful start in the Europa League on Thursday and now returns to league action, hoping to improve their position in the table where they currently sit 14th after five matches. To achieve that, Saja’s side must defeat Toulouse, who are just one place above them.
Toulouse
Toulouse finished 11th in Ligue 1 last season, marking their best performance in the top flight over the last ten years. The team, under Martinez, started the new campaign with the hope of at least placing themselves in the upper half of the table.
However, the “purple” side has struggled to find form. They have managed only one victory in their opening five matches, which came in their last home game against Le Havre. Goals from Babik and Gboko in the second half secured a 2-0 win, but regrettably, this was not only their only win but also the only match where they scored more than one goal. Following the departure of striker Dalling, Martinez’s team has encountered issues with finishing, costing them points in home draws against Nantes (0-0) and away to Brest (0-2). A significantly better xG in matches has been undermined by poor conversion, with a missed penalty in their last match clearly demonstrating the problem, especially when trailing 0-1.
With only four goals scored in five games, Toulouse ranks just above the bottom dwellers Saint-Etienne and Angers in that statistic. Therefore, against Lyon, it will be challenging for the “violets” to secure a positive result, having taken just one point from four encounters against this opponent since their return to Ligue 1.
Lyon
Lyon had a disastrous start to the last season but achieved an incredible comeback to finish sixth and qualify for the Europa League. Last Thursday, Olympique enjoyed a home victory against Olympiakos as they began their campaign in Europe. Early in October, Saja’s lads will travel to Glasgow to face Rangers. In the meantime, they desperately need points in Ligue 1, where their start resembles that of the previous season.
Only four points from five games have been accrued by Lyon, with all three defeats proving quite painful – a 0-3 loss away to Rennes, and 0-2 and 2-3 home defeats against Monaco and Marseille, respectively. The latter two were against leading opponents, but the derby defeat against another Olympique side was particularly disappointing as their opponent played with ten men from the fifth minute and just when it seemed Cherki had salvaged a draw in stoppage time, Lyon conceded a decisive goal.
On the positive side, they rallied from 1-3 down to ultimately win 4-3 in a home game against Strasbourg. Their trip to Lens and their first clean sheet yielded one point. Thus, it is crucial for Saja’s side to maintain this upward trend as they have slowly started to regain their form after a chaotic and expensive summer transfer window. In this regard, Toulouse is a positive opponent as Lyon has not lost in 16 consecutive matches against them.
Toulouse vs Lyon: Predicted Lineups
Vasbauer is Toulouse’s only injury concern, while Niakite is Lyon’s.
Toulouse vs Lyon: Author’s Prediction
Lyon is riding a wave of positivity following their European victory and, despite fatigue, may continue to win in Ligue 1. I expect both teams to score here, with the visitors claiming all three points.
