Our prediction for this Ligue 1 match:
Lyon
Match Time & Date:
05/03/2023
17:05
Prediction: 2-1
Lorient
Following a 3-1 win over Angers, Olympique Lyon will look to stay in the Conference League race when they take on Lorient on Matchday 26. Les Gones need to start winning on a regular basis if they are to represent France in European competitions next term, and they are likely to go all guns blazing at les Merlus. Even though key attacker Alexander Lacazette remains in the recovery room alongside Thiago Mendes, Jerome Boateng, Houssem Aouar, and Malo Gusto, home win should be considered as Lorient are on a three-game losing run on the road.
The visitors, on the other hand, do not seem to be at their sharpest, and given their difficulties on the travels, we believe that there is a big value in betting on the home side. Defender Julien Laporte is sidelined with injury, but he should be the only absentee in the away team.
Highlighted Player (Alexandre Lacazette):
Alexandre Lacazette is a hometown boy of Lyon, a powerful striker who went through the youth ranks of the French side to become one of the most important players for Les Gones. The 25-year-old forward was also a member of all France national team selections becoming a European champion at the age of 19 by scoring the winner in the final against Spain.
This goal gave him a reputation of a big game player, one he went on to uphold on various occasions at his club. Lacazette is a hard working forward an accomplished finisher of the ball able to score from different positions. The most prolific striker in his side and among the top ones in the Ligue 1, Alexandre Lacazette scored more than 20 league goals last two seasons on a trot.
Constantly linked with a move away from Lyon, Alexandre Lacazette refuses to speak about anything other than his football and is leaving all the talk to the football pitch.
Highlighted Team (Lorient):
Founded back in 1926, Lorient is a French football club that competes in Ligue 1. Les Merlus have yet to win the Ligue 1 trophy, but they did well to go all the way in the Coupe de France in the 2001/02 season. In the title game, Lorient defeated Bastia thanks to Jean-Claude Darcheville’s goal.
The same season les Merlus made it to the Coupe de la Ligue final, but Bordeaux proved to be a big catch (0-3) for them in the title game. Lorient welcome their rivals at Stade du Moustoir, the stadium which can hold up to 16,392 spectators. The colour of the team’s home shirt is orange with a little black on it, while white is the dominant colour of their away jersey. In the 2002/03 season Lorient represented France in European competitions.
Les Merlus, though, failed to impress on their debut in the UEFA Cup as they were beaten by Denizlispor in the round 1 double-header.
