OL returns to the Europa League this Thursday evening from 6:45 p.m. French time with a perilous trip to Baku in Azerbaijan. A crucial meeting for the rest of the competition and which will do good for our Gones.
OL travel to the Azerbaijani capital to face the reigning champion, Qarabağ FK. A team located in the city of Agdam, more than 3 hours drive from Baku, but which plays at the Tofiq-Béhramov Republican Stadium, following tensions in the Nagorno Karabakh region for many years. On the sporting side, Qarabağ dominates its championship, but on the European scene, the situation is very different. With only 3 points in 4 games, the Azeri team ranks 29th with three defeats for one victory and the 34th defense in the competition with 9 goals conceded for only 3 scored. A team from Qarabağ who are all the same accustomed to European competitions and who will be keen to add a big one to their record.
On the player side, technician Gurban Gurbhanov will have to do without the services of goalkeeper Ramazanov and for the rest, he will be able to count on a full team. Among the weapons of this formation, the Brazilian striker Juninho (no relation to our legend) but above all two former Ligue 1 players, Abdellah Zoubir and above all a player well known to OL, Yassine Benzia. Trained in Lyon, the Algerian international considered a real crack at the start of his career finds a smile again with Agdam and he is determined to have a great match. If the two teams have never faced each other, Qarabağ has a negative record against French clubs in its history with 3 defeats (OMx2, Nantes) for 2 draws (AS Saint-Etienne) and one victory (3-0 against Nantes). It is up to Lyon to continue this series in a trap match par excellence, because the kick-off will be given late, at 9:45 p.m. local time, 6:45 p.m. in France. An unusual schedule for most teams in Europe.
A long trip, but a complete group to snatch victory
For Olympique Lyonnais, victory would be a very big step towards the play-offs, but above all direct qualification for the round of 16. Before meeting one of the best teams in the competition, Eintracht Frankfurt and traveling to Türkiye in Istanbul, Lyon must absolutely bring back victory. Unlike the match against Hoffenheim (2-2), Pierre Sage should field a competitive 11 from kick-off. Lucas Perri should logically start with a defense of 4, Maitland-Niles, Caleta-Car, Niakhaté, Abner. In the middle, Tanner Tessmann in place of Nemanja Matic accompanied by Corentin Tolisso and Jordan Veretout.
Finally, to lead the attack in this 4-3-3 system, Pierre Sage should trust Rayan Cherki, Malick Fofana or Saïd Benrahma and Alexandre Lacazette in the center-forward position. The OL captain needs to regain confidence in a competition that brings him luck since he is the team's top scorer with 3 goals. Note that the Lyon coach plans to rotate his squad if the score allows it. Wilfried Zaha and Gift Orban not selected for this long journey of more than 4,600 km, namely the longest in the history of OL in the European Cup.
Pierre Sage's group can be found here
Compo probable Karabakh FK (4-2-3-1) : Kochalski / Bayramov – Huseynov (cap.) – Medina – Cafaquliyev / Jankovic – Romão / Andrade – Benzia – Zoubir / Juninho.
Probable lineup Olympique Lyonnais (4-3-3): Perri (Descamps) / Maitland-Niles (Mata) – Caleta-Car – Niakhaté – Abner (Tagliafico) / Veretout – Matic (Tessmann) – Tolisso / Cherki – Lacazette (cap.) – Benrahma (Fofana).
Match information
Qarabag – Olympique Lyonnais / Europa League (2024-2025) – J5
Date, time: Thursday November 28, 2024 – 9:45 p.m. local time, 6:45 p.m. French time
Stade : Tofiq Béhramov Republican Stadium (Baku, Azerbaijan)
Coaches: Gurban Gurbanov (AZE, Qarabağ FK) – Pierre Sage (FRA, Olympique Lyonnais)
Referee: Nenad Minakovic (Serbie, 35 ans)
Channel: Canal+
Weather report : 8 degrees light rain
