Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Ligue 1 match.
Financial difficulties are forcing Olympique Lyonnais to maximise their performances in both the Europa League and the French top flight — and they are rising to the challenge. Olympique Lyonnais are clear favourites over Angers, especially since the underdog recently proved they struggle to contain the heavy assaults of top teams.
Angers
At home against Paris Saint-Germain (2:4), Angers conceded 3.34 xGA and 26 shots, with the Parisians easily finding goal-scoring opportunities. Last weekend, Angers snatched three points from Le Havre (1:0), striving to dominate possession (12-5 in shots and 1.84-0.18 in xG), a scenario unlikely to be repeated against Olympique Lyonnais. Angers are missing several injured starters (four key players are sidelined), leading to a shaky defence (24.31 xGA — fifth worst in the league).
Olympique Lyonnais
Lyon's win over Nice (4:1) on Sunday extended their unbeaten streak to seven matches across all competitions. They have surpassed AS Monaco in xG (26.69 vs 25.88), with only PSG (41.30) boasting more in Ligue 1. Olympique Lyonnais face no issues selecting attacking players: Alexandre Lacazette reawakened with a hat-trick against Nice (5+2 in the league), while at least five players contributed a minimum of three goal involvements.
Angers vs Olympique Lyonnais Prediction
In the penultimate campaign, Angers were no match for Olympique Lyonnais in head-to-head encounters (0:5 and 1:3). Lyon will secure another three points this weekend with their formidable attack.
