Les Gones vs. Les Parisiens. It may not be Le Classique, but it is nonetheless still one of the biggest matches in Ligue 1. Currently Lyon lead the way in what has been a highly entertaining title race for French football fans this season. Indeed, it surely looks like it will continue to be a three-horse race between Hubert Fournier's men, reigning league champions PSG, and fellow French powerhouse Marseille.
Statistically, though, despite holding a slim two point advantage over Laurent Blanc's side, the hosts have not fared well against their visitors as of late. In their last five matches, the capital club hold an advantage, having won three, drawn one, and lost just one.
However, the reverse fixture back in September ended up concluding as a 1-1 stalemate with goals from Edinson Cavani and Samuel Umtiti, and it will be indeed interesting to see what the outcome this time will be at the Stade de Gerland this Sunday. Lyon, though, have been simply unstoppable on their home turf with 11 wins and just one loss to Lens back in August, and have been impressive offensively and defensively with 30 goals scored and just five conceded.
Unfortunately, Fournier has suffered a huge blow, as young French international Alexandre Lacazette will again not be available due to a thigh injury. The 23-year-old has been in amazing form for his team and with 21 goals thus far, looks set to dethrone Zlatan Ibrahimovic from his perch as Ligue 1's top marksman.
Lacazette's absence as Lyon labored to a dull 0-0 draw with Monaco was keenly felt as even when he is not scoring goals he has created numerous chances for his teammates with his smart runs and decisive passes in the final third.
In fact, his 21 goals and five assists mean that he has been directly involved in over 50% of his team's 47 goals this season. Meanwhile, PSG, which previously had been criticized by some by being too "Ibra-dependent" are showing that they are not as reliant on the big Swede as previously assumed. The 33-year-old has not had the best season thus far by his lofty standards, netting just nine times due to spells spent out with injuries.
Yet, if one were to look at PSG's last few matches, one would notice that a whole slew of players--from defender David Luiz to midfielders Javier Pastore and Marco Verratti to seemingly frustrated attackers Ezequiel Lavezzi and Cavani all finding the back of th net--in addition to, of course, Ibrahimovic.
Blanc may also tinker with his attacking options, meaning that fans could possibly see an interesting trident of Cavani and Lucas Moura supporting Ibrahimovic as the lone striker. The Uruguayan has made no secret of his annoyance at being played on the wings to accommodate the Swedish star, but has one fewer goal than his colleague, so he will certainly be keen on matching or surpassing that with a goal tomorrow.
The absence, though of Lacazette could likely see Nabil Fekir and Yassine Benzia again lead the line for Lyon and the home crowd will hope that they can put in a good shift in their absence of this season's top marksman. Additionally, they are without the services of defensive stalwart Milan Bisevac who will unfortunately be out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury.
At the end of the game, Lyon could extend their lead to five points should they win. On the other hand, should Blanc's side depart with all three points in hand, they would jump ahead into first place, provided that Rennes do them a favor and defeat Marseille in their match earlier in the day.
All in all, the stage appears to be set for an entertaining clash between two of France's biggest sides. Ligue 1 fans certainly will want to make sure they do not miss out on this one.
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