Lyon vs Saint-Germain Game Preview, Odds, Picks & Predictions

Struggling Lyon and leaders Paris Saint-Germain face each other in the Ligue 1 derby at Parc Olympique Lyonnais as both teams try to win their first league game of the new year. Our sportsbook is offering a great number of markets and props for the most anticipated match of the round.

Lyon: Not the Best Season

The hosts are winless in their previous four domestic games, including draws in their last three. No doubt, they would be happy with one point from Sunday’s clash as well. They are sitting 13th in the standings with 24 points picked up in 19 games, closer to the relegation one than to the Champions League spots.

Lyon will be without many of its key players, with Karl Toko Ekambi, Islam Slimani and Tino Kadewere on international duty for the rest of the month while key midfielder Lucas Paqueta has tested positive for Coronavirus and will sit out. Lyon was thrown out of the French Cup back in December due to fans rioting, so they are well rested. The host lost the reverse match 2-1 on the road with Lucas Paqueta being their sole goal scorer.

They enter this clash as +250 underdogs on the three-way moneyline according to the latest soccer odds. Their head-to-head record against PSG is very poor, winning just one of their previous seven mutual encounters across all competitions and losing five. At home, they are one of the most consistent teams in the league, losing just once in nine games in front of their fans.

Although they stayed in the title race until the final few weeks of the season, last term was a low-key disaster for the hosts. Having held on to Moussa Dembélé and Houssem Aouar while also adding Lucas Paquetá and Tino Kadewere in the summer transfer window, Lyon started the season as title contenders.

Unfortunately, new manager Peter Bosz is under high pressure and we might see him sacked in a few weeks-time.

Paris Saint-Germain: Depleted but Strong

PSG kicked off the new year with a comfortable 4-0 win against fourth-tier Vannes in the Coupe de France. With several regular starters absent, PSG dominated the entire game and Kylian Mbappe scored his first hat trick of the year. Still, PSG is not exactly the team we want to back right now because it is also missing many key players, so we recommend you not to include them to your soccer picks and parlays.

PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma tested positive for Covid the day after he played against Vannes. He joins a growing list of PSG players who have been sidelined by positive tests, including the likes of Lionel Messi and Juan Bernat. On top of that, Neymar may not recover in time to face Real Madrid in the Champions League. He has been on the sidelines since Nov. 28, but he is thinking of rushing his return in order to play a part in the key matches

There are also many international issues to be fixed that affect the futures of Mbappe, Mauro Icardi and manager Mauricio Pochettino. Mbappe is now free to sign a pre-contract agreement with another team. Real Madrid is the main suitor for his signature as the La Liga Santander club had already tried to sign him last summer.

If you’re betting online, you should avoid both teams so don’t bet on the winners’ market. Instead, check the goals’ market with the line being set at three. We’ve seen at least three goals in three of their last four head-to-heads and we’re expecting at least three goals once again.