PSG face Lyon in the rescheduled Coupe de la Ligue final on Friday night. Tom Love (@TomLove_18) shares his thoughts on the encounter.
PSG vs Lyon | Friday 31st July 2020, 20:10 | BT Sport
Paris Saint-Germain were given a stern test in last week's Coupe de France final against a battling Saint Etienne side but eventually ran out narrow 1-0 victors. Les Parisiens were on the back foot towards the end of the game despite playing against 10 men for the majority of it.
The dismissal was for Sainte captain Loic Perrin for a nasty challenge on Kylian Mbappe, it’s no surprise to see the talented Frenchman therefore ruled out of this one. Naturally PSG have drifted out to 1/2 after the news; they still have plenty of dangerous players in attacking areas with Angel Di Maria, Mauro Icardi an the mercurial Neymar.
It’s at the back where I’ve been surprisingly impressed with the capital club. Thomas Tuchel looked to bolster the other half of the pitch in order to get some balance into the side and it’s worked a treat, their +51 goal difference in the league tells that story.
Lyon missed out on Europe after the Ligue 1 season was cut short. Domestically it’s been far from a stellar season for Les Gones but they have got to this final and currently hold an advantage over Juventus in the Champions League. Lyon are well known for their canny recruitment and that’s once more being proven with the winter addition of Bruno Guimaraes who has been excellent since his arrival. They do pose a threat but you’d expect the superior quality to show.
PSG finished the season, albeit prematurely, 28 points ahead of Lyon and deservedly so. Even without Mbappe the champions look a fair price at twos-on but it’s a bit short to put up. Instead I’ll plump for the handsome odds-against quote on PSG to win and Under 4.5 Goals with Betway. Finals tend to be more cagey match ups, as shown last week and I do think the outsiders will keep things competitive.
I’ll also jump into the cards market here and take the 11/8 on Bet365’s BetBuilder on both teams collecting Over 1 Card. There were a massive 10 yellows and one red last week and with everything on the line expect it to be fiery once again. Lyon have picked up 52 cards this season and PSG 50 so both are decent enough for a caution.
We’ve also got Jerome Bisard as the man in the middle and he likes a card. Seven of his last eight games officiated he’s given at least four cards.
Best Bets
PSG vs Lyon – PSG to win and Under 4.5 Goals (21/20 Betway)
PSG vs Lyon – Both Teams Over 1 Card (11/8 Bet365)
