Angers have beaten Lyon only twice in their history, the last victory more than 5 years ago. Le SCO are considered clear outsiders even at home. Will they be able to surprise us and take points away from the Lions?
Angers form
Last season Angers finished in 13th place, and there’ve been a lot of changes since then. Perhaps the new head coach, Gérald Baticle, will improve their results - 10 years as an assistant head coach in Lyon must have given him experience. Ludovic Butelle, Loïs Diony and Lassana Coulibaly left in the summer transfer window, and all the transfer-ins are to strengthen the center midfield. It’s still uncertain whether young Azzedine Ounahi and Batista Mendy will be able to play right from the start, and one can only hope that the club will be able to sign someone by the end of the month. It is good that Angers' sickbay is almost empty: only Enzo Ebosse is not playing due to injury. He played only 6 games in the last championship.
Before the start of the season Gérald Baticle's team won 2 out of 5 friendly matches, losing 2 times. Mohamed-Ali Cho, Stéphane Bahoken and Rachid Alioui scored two goals each. On Matchday 1 of Ligue 1, Angers beat Strasbourg 2-0 away. The meeting turned out poor in scoring chances, although the referees revoked a goal from both sides. The teams totaled 16 shots on goal, 9 of them by Angers. There were no goals scored in the first half but after the break Traoré and Bahoken found the net.
Lyon form
Lyon fell just short of qualifying for the Champions League last season, which forced Rudi Garcia to resign. Peter Bosz was appointed head coach back in May and it won’t be easy for him to succeed from the start. Memphis Depay, an attack leader, left the club in the summer and a good replacement is yet to be found. Only the defensive line has been strengthened: Damien Da Silva and Henrique have joined as free agents. As for the current roster, Da Silva is not playing due to suspension, while Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Maxwell Cornet, and Jason Denayer are on sickbay.
Islam Slimani, Moussa Dembele and Karl Toko Ekambi all excelled in friendlies before the league, and Maxwell Cornet added three goals in a 3-5 friendly match against Porto. Peter Bosz's team played out a 1-1 draw at home against Brest in Ligue 1. The Lions seized the initiative and constantly pushed forward, but in the first half they created only one half-chance and also missed a dangerous counterattack, letting Irvin Cardona score from outside the box. After the break the opponents were close to doubling the lead, but this time the goalkeeper succeeded. Substitute Islam Slimani restored the balance, and in the end the opponent was a little closer to victory. Overall, a draw was quite a fitting result, although it could have been worse for Lyon.
Head-to-head encounters
Lyon haven’t lost once, scoring 8 victories in the last ten head-to-head encounters. In their last meeting at home, the Lions won with a 3-0 score. Memphis Depay netted a brace. Angers could have avoided the defeat, but first Mohamed-Ali Cho failed to beat the goalkeeper and, right before the final whistle, Loïs Diony hit the crossbar.
Significant figures
- Angers won only 1 home game in eight Ligue 1 fixtures;
- Lyon won 3 of their last 10 away matches, suffering 2 defeats;
- Angers conceded no goals in 4 of their last 10 games.
Expert Betting Tps
Lyon played the last match very poorly in defense and it is unlikely to change much a week before the away game. Even with the forced changes in the lineup, Angers are looking upbeat, although the creativity in the attack is still a bit lacking. Penalty area serves don’t always lead to chances, but they can try their luck on the counterattack. In the last home game against Lyon, Angers seemed very decent and deserved a draw, and now they can finally get points from the Lions. I suggest the following odds for the game:
- Angers or Draw for 2.01;
- Angers To Win for 4.48;
- Individual Total 1 Over 1 for 2.01.