The first co-leader hosting the third co-leader, the matchup is enticing and might even overshadow the duel between Bordeaux and Marseille taking place that same evening. Victors of the derby against their neighbors from Saint-Étienne, Claude Puel’s men are wary of this encounter against the surprising Nice team that has been quite successful at Gerland in recent seasons. Moreover, the Lyon coach will have to do without Italian Fabio Grosso, who, injured during the Cyprus-Italy match, will be sidelined for a few weeks. It is therefore expected that Kim Källstrom will fill in for his teammate, as he did against Saint-Étienne. With or without the Italian full-back, the Lyon machine remains formidable, and it will take a lot of courage and dedication for Frédéric Antonetti’s protégés to repeat the feat of April 21, 1973, when Nice won in Lyon with a 2-1 scoreline, thanks to two goals by a certain Hervé Revelli answering to Bernard Lacombe.
On the Nice side, Onyekachi Apam might be absent this Saturday due to pain between his adductors and quadriceps, while Jeunechamp will serve his suspension following a warning received against Valenciennes. Loïc Rémy will, once again, need to demonstrate his goal-scoring prowess to break through the Lyon defense, as he did against Malta when selected for the France U21 team. Two final training sessions are scheduled at the Charles Ehrmann stadium, today at 5 pm and tomorrow at 9 am before departing for the Rhône-Alpes.
The Reunion of Friends
This meeting will, of course, be an opportunity to reunite with two former Nice players who left during the off-season for the cozy nest of Olympique Lyonnais. Hugo Lloris and Honorato Campos Ederson will not have an easy task against their former teammates, who, while they know them well, will be eager to make them stumble on their new home ground. “I love Hugo, and I am sure that if he has to concede a goal, he’d prefer it to be from someone from Nice (laughs). I have no worries for him; even if he lets in a goal against us, he’s going to have a great season.” Cyril Rool seems ready to put his prediction into action while keeping an eye on, as one does a pot of milk on the stove, his Brazilian friend. The two former Nice players are key figures for Claude Puel, who has fielded Lloris four times and Ederson three. There’s no doubt they will both be present on the Gerland field, albeit with a twinge of nostalgia seeing the jerseys they wore just a few weeks ago. The hope is that the Brazilian doesn’t score his 17th Ligue 1 goal, and the Lyon guardian angel increases his tally of conceded goals, currently at 76.
But while the two former players will be closely marked, one should not forget about the other key figures in Lyon’s lineup such as Karim Benzema with his four goals or Jean Makoun who has already scored twice this season. The Lyon player and the former Lille player hope to increase their respective tallies to remain at the top of the scorers’ ranking, of which Benzema is currently the sole leader.
Nice is riding on three consecutive victories, and Lyon has yet to concede a goal in the league – statistics that suggest a high-level encounter between two clubs that, although they don’t share the same budget, have the same ambitions starting this year.
The LFP has designated the referees for the Lyon vs. Nice match on Saturday, September 13 (5th day of Ligue 1). Jean-Charles Cailleux will officiate, assisted by Frédéric Haquette and Laurent Stien.
