Paris Saint Germain is welcoming Lyon in the derby of Week 24 of the French Ligue 1. Lyon was once a force in the national championship the same way PSG dominates today. However, times have changed, and the Saints are now miles ahead of their big rival. We might as well add all rivals because it applies to the entire league, not just Lyon.
Preview
PSG
The boys from the capital have seven wins in a row, and during that stretch, the champs have scored 19 times, allowing just two goals. At home, they are ruthless. The last five games saw their win on four occasions, with a draw against Monaci, but in each match, Tomas Tuchel’s guys scored at least three goals. All five games went above Over 4.5 scores, and that tells you everything about the way they play at Parc des Princes.
The total goal-difference in these five contests is 23-5 in favor of the champs. Neymar is not playing, but don’t think that it might affect the goalscoring ability of PSG’s attack. They have numerous other players who are more than eager to show what they can and to replace the superstar from Brazil.
In general, there are several injured players among the Saints, like Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Herrera, Diallo, Dagba, Bernat, but the depth of this team is amazing, and Tuchel won’t have any troubles in finding his way around when picking the starting lineup.
Lyon
The Kids, as the fans call them, had nine straight games without a loss and seven wins in a row before losing to Nice on the road five days ago. After that, they played without goals at home against Amiens, which was a massive failure, and it probably reflected their morale ahead of this one. Lyon, too, plays efficient football, with lots of goals, and they prefer to attack all the time, no matter the result.
Nine of their latest 11 games saw over 2.5 goals, and in eight, Lyon netted twice. When analyzing games on the road, five of the previous six saw both teams score.
The problematic thing for them is the absence of their best striker, and the No.1 star of the team, Memphis Depay. The Dutch striker has problems with his knee, and he won’t be able to face the Saints. Kone and Dubois are also not available for this one.
Head to Head
PSG didn’t lose to Lyon since 2012, and that is the only win the Kids have in Paris since 2007. The hosts recorded 10 wins and one draw at Parc des Princes against this rival, with the note that in the latest eight, they netted twice or more. The last one here ended 5-0 for the Parisians. So, each time Monaco comes here, it is pretty much a disaster for them.
The first leg this season ended 0-1 for the champ, with the only scorer being Neymar in the 87th minute of the match.
Prediction
You know that we love to bet on goals when PSG plays. Especially if they appear at home, and have some big name in front of them. It is a situation that motivates the Saints and inspires their players. So, we won’t change our habits in this case.
PSG to score two or more goals in the opening 45 minutes is paid 1.41 at BetXChange, and that is a fantastic offer which we need to take. In recent times, there weren’t many games at Parc des Princes in which they haven’t accomplished this goal.
For you who like to take big risks, go with over 2.5 goals in the first halftime. It’s worth trying.
