And no, we’re not talking about Corentin Tolisso, Malick Fofana or Rayan Cherki… but the surprising ASSE striker Zuriko Davitashvili. It’s finally here, the best Georgian recruit of the summer in Ligue 1 (so far), while we were all thinking of Georges Mikautadze (still on the bench this evening). The former Bordeaux player has already scored 5 goals in his first season in the elite. He’ll be the driving force behind the Greens’ attacking hopes this evening.
There are no real surprises on the StĂ©phanois side either: Larsonneur, who had a scare in training on Saturday, will hold his place in goal, and Olivier Dall’Oglio prefers to line up the 19-year-old Belgian Lucas Stassin, who has been unconvincing so far, rather than Ibrahim Sissoko.
One of the most memorable moments of the derby was the salto piqué by ex-Stéphan Frédéric Piquionne, which preceded a Verts goal at Gerland.
We suspected that Lyon’s line-up would be nothing like the second-string team that drew with Hoffenheim on Thursday (2-2). This time, however, it’s “classic”, and unlike some Ligue 1 matches, Pierre Sage hasn’t brought out an ultra-offensive 4-2-3-1. Instead, OL has opted for a 4-3-3 formation, with the trio that currently stands out up front: Cherki-Lacazette-Fofana, plus a more defensive trident in midfield between Matic, Tolisso and Veretout.
Here’s another thing that has been sorely lacking over the last two seasons, both at Lyon and SaintĂ©: the traditional last training session before the derby. Supporters’ groups are systematically allowed to take part in part of this session, in order to get the atmosphere right.
There were over 3,000 spectators at each of the clubs on Saturday – yes, yes, for a simple training session. Here’s a video of what it was like.
Forget Raymond Domenech, Jean-Michel Aulas and Nabil Fekir, the pre-derby punchlines that have historically been the spice of this regional clash have a bright future ahead of them with John Textor. The American owner was visibly excited at the idea of discovering this live rivalry with ASSE, if we are to believe his words. in L’Equipe this Sunday.
We have to win both derbies and we have to do our best to humiliate them,” said the OL boss bluntly. I’m sorry, but that has to be our objective. That’s what our fans want, and that’s what I want. Be respectful, but definitely humiliate them. Humiliation with respect is a Floridian concept that escapes us a little.
Hi, we’re taking a little dip here and sharing with you here our article of the day on the history of the famous song Take me awayLyon version. Don’t wait until the 42nd minute of tonight’s derby to dive in, folks.
Hi Minutos, we’ve been waiting almost three years for this moment, and no doubt you have too. France’s biggest derby (is there still a debate about that?) is back. Remember that the last time there was an OL-ASSE match in Ligue 1 (1-0 in January 2022), Bruno Guimaraes and Lucas Paqueta (snif) were first-teamers for Lyon.
That’s how old it is, and fortunately the return of Les Verts to the top flight has put an end to this great lack in our championship. Over 57,000 Lyon fans are expected to attend the match in DĂ©cines on Sunday evening, where ASSE fans will unfortunately be banned once again (they’ve never been able to attend a single match in the formidable tool!). We’ll be there, of course, to bring you all the action.
You can find us here from 8pm, before kick-off at 8:45pm.