Angers Form
Head coach Alexandre Duje decided to do a bit of experimenting in the last round, giving game time to young players as well as squad members. The result was not long in coming – the team were thrashed away by Lens (5:1). It was the third heavy defeat of the current league campaign. In addition, the club have lost five of their last six Ligue 1 matches, claiming just one win in that spell. Angers sit 12th in the standings and have a healthy 10-point cushion over the bottom three. It is also worth noting that the club have scored only 24 goals, just two more than the sides with the fewest goals in the league – Auxerre and Le Havre.
- No more than two goals were scored in 8 of the team's previous 9 Ligue 1 games.
- At least one of the teams failed to score in 8 of Angers' last 9 league matches.
- The club are on a decisive run at home in Ligue 1 that spans 9 matches – 5 wins and 4 defeats.
Potential Angers Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Umar Pona – Florent Hanin, Ousmane Camara, Jordan Lefort, Marius Loire – Haris Belkebla, Branco van den Boomen – Amin Sbai, Louis Mouton, Yassin Belkhdim – Lanroa Machin.
Lyon Form
Lyon played last weekend at their own ground and suffered a frustrating 2:1 defeat to Monaco. Interestingly, the team scored first, but conceded the decisive goal from the penalty spot. As a result, their winless run in the league has stretched to five matches, during which they have drawn twice and lost three times. Lyon have not had such a long spell without a Ligue 1 win since November 2023. Nevertheless, the club are still in the top four, but they are only ahead of Lille below them on tiebreakers.
- Both teams scored in 4 of Lyon's last 5 Ligue 1 matches.
- Lyon have failed to win 8 of their previous 11 away league matches (4 draws and 4 defeats).
- The team have scored more than once in just 2 of their last 8 Ligue 1 games.
Potential Lyon Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Dominik Greif – Hans Hateboer, Moussa Niakhate, Nicolas Tagliafico, Clinton Mata – Corentin Tolisso, Orel Mangala – Afonso Moreira, Halis Mera, Endrick – Pavel Shultz.
Defender Nicolas Tagliafico is out due to suspension. Forwards Ernest Nuamah, Malick Fofana and Remy Imber, as well as midfielder Noam Camara, will miss out through injury.
Who Will Referee the Match
Ruddy Buquet (France)
Matches – 12 (Ligue 1, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 36;
Average yellow cards per match – 3;
Red cards shown – 2;
Fouls per match on average – 23;
Penalties – 25%.
* For each team, the starting XI from their previous match in this tournament is listed.
