Lyon vs Lorient: The end of Les Merlus’ luck

Lyon and Lorient are jointly in the standings at the start of Matchday 8 of Ligue 1, with Les Merlus unexpectedly sitting one point ahead of the Lions. Will the home side manage to win and continue their pursuit of the leaders?

Lyon have won 4 of their last five matches in all competitions, only losing to PSG the day before in the French championship. The Lions are now in 6th place in Ligue 1, only 1 point behind 3rd. Bruno Guimaraes is in top form, with three assists in 4 games. Lucas Paqueta has scored in 3 league games in a row, and Jordan is slowly getting used to his new club, but Moussa Dembele has another injury and will not play against Lorient. Tinotenda Kadewere, Lenny Pintor, and Jeff Reine-Adelaide are injured, with Marcelo’s participation in doubt.

Peter Bosch’s side beat Troyes 3-1 at home to Lyon in the last round of Ligue 1. Lyon could have taken the lead in the 1st half, but Houssem Aouar missed a great opportunity. The opponents created some excellent chances before the break, so the goal conceded by the Lions looked logical. Lyon were unforgiving in the 2nd half, with Paqueta, Emerson, and Shaqiri all scoring.

The season got off to an even better start for Lorient - 12 points after seven games, fifth place in the table. Their only defeat came on the road against Montpellier while they beat Lille and Monaco at home. That said, it’s difficult to point to a clear leader for the club, except that Terem Moffi stands out with 4 points. Lately, Les Merlus have been showing incredible execution, while their opponents have been very often mistaken in completing their attacks. There’s no shortage of luck. Jérémy Morel and Quentin Boisgard are still sidelined, Moritz Jenz will not play due to suspension, and Fabien Lemoine’s participation is still in doubt due to personal reasons.

Lorient faced Nice at home this week, and were 1-0 up. Christophe Pélissier’s side had just one shot on target and took the lead midway through the first half thanks to Tom Moncodua’s long-range shot. However, the opposition failed to convert several one-on-one goals, and Amine Gouiri’s penalty spot-kick was a great save for Lorient. Jentz was also sent off in the closing stages, but the team had no serious problems after that.

Lorient’s luck will run out sooner or later, and back in the last round, they may well have conceded 2-3 goals at home. Les Merlus are in the last place in Ligue 1 in terms of xG, and in terms of expected goals from their opponents, they are one of the worst teams. Lyon also have problems in defense, but this was not evident in the last round, and excellent combination play makes up for the shortcomings. The previous head-to-head encounter also speaks in favour of the Lions, so I suggest the following betting options:

• Handicap 1 (-1.5) for 1.97;
• Both Teams To Score - No for 1.71;
• W1 to nil for 2.45.