PRE-MATCH. The reunion of OL with its audience could have been damn cool. But the gauge of the Formidable Tool is limited to 5,000 spectators, and the atmosphere seems to have subsided very quickly after the defeat against Bayern. It will therefore not be so much a question of a joyful celebration, this Friday at 9:00 p.m. (live on Téléfoot), but rather of a successful return to earth, which is not necessarily obvious.
Stake. Nine days is a short time to digest a Champions League semi-final. This is the challenge for OL, which however showed that this lapse of time was more than enough to start to tarnish the great enthusiasm born of this course. The players’ near indifference to the supporters who came to cheer them at the airport, the incomprehensible words of Toko-Ekambi in L’Équipe (essentially judging that “the people” were too critical and not happy enough afterwards. the elimination against Bayern), or the aggressiveness of Rudi Garcia on OLTV in the face of criticism concerning the management of young people suggest that the team has opted for the strategy “alone against all”.
— Bruno el scout (@Benzema3469) August 27, 2020
Too bad: if it seems difficult to promote the course in C1 tactically, the beautiful “sacred union” of the supporters with their club (spontaneous this time) was undoubtedly one of the summer ingredients to perpetuate. It does not take the way in communication. It will therefore be necessary for OL to be able to maintain the flame via the field. The exit of Marçal, who believes that OL must give themselves the goal of titillating PSG this season, probably does not involve much, but it reveals at least a form of ambition which can only seduce after the club’s last performances in Ligue 1, and the excuses systematically found for underperformance.
Beyond the elements of the Lyonno-Lyonnaise atmosphere, OL will also be monitored for their ability to rebound. Everyone, including at the club, seems aware of the stake of changing the intentions of the team to go from matches against Juve, City or Bayern to a sequence of Dijon, Bordeaux, then Montpellier. And if coming back to earth in the form of a hangover has a good odds, this team has enough resources and momentum to foil one more prognosis.
The first group of the season to face Dijon!#OLDFCO pic.twitter.com/TgD76Judqd
– Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) August 27, 2020
The probable composition. The change in the opponent’s caliber and the benefits of physical and psychological freshness have undoubtedly made the staff think about the possibility of changing composition and / or tactics. But between the desire to surf the summer dynamic and the legitimate temptation to take advantage of potential starters as long as they are available, August 5-3-2 should be repeated identically, with only one uncertainty on Dembélé / Toko -Ekambi.
The probable composition of OL: Lopes – Denayer, Marcelo, Marçal – Dubois, Caqueret, Guimaraes, Aouar, Cornet – Memphis, Dembélé (or Toko-Ekambi)
A group of 19 from Dijon to face the@OL !
Fouad Chafik is back in the group. @AnibalChala_ach and @J_Panzoo make their first appearance!
more info on absences https://t.co/pgqnptCQXm#OLDFCO # Ligue1UberEats pic.twitter.com/B1TP7Yf9D1
– Dijon FCO (@DFCO_Officiel) August 27, 2020
The prono of the editorial. To shed some light on the forecast, should we take the stats of the first days (13 wins and 3 draws since the last defeat, in Lille in 2003/04), or those, more mixed, of the second days (8 wins, 4 draws, 4 losses over the same period)? Let’s count on a sluggish victory but without trembling too much, totally in the line of that won against Amiens two years ago for example. With a goal per half (Memphis after a small hook at the entrance to the surface, Cornet on a ball that drags at the far post), packed it is weighed.
Eloi Paillol
(Photo Damien LG / OL)
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