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Lyon travel to PSG already 10 points off the Ligue 1 leaders

By Matt Addison

NANTES, FRANCE - JANUARY 14: Edinson Cavani of PSG during the French Ligue 1 match between FC Nantes and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) at Stade de la Beaujoire on January 14, 2018 in Nantes, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
NANTES, FRANCE - JANUARY 14: Edinson Cavani of PSG during the French Ligue 1 match between FC Nantes and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) at Stade de la Beaujoire on January 14, 2018 in Nantes, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images) /
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Lyon are a team with quality, but find themselves 10 points behind PSG in Ligue 1 already with the champions having made the perfect start.

The Parc de Princes will host possibly the two best teams in France on Sunday night as Lyon head to the French capital to play the runaway leaders PSG.

On Sunday night, the weekend of Ligue 1 action will round off with the undoubted tie of the matchweek.

Lyon go into the game 10 points behind the Ligue 1 leaders, but have shown already this season that they have the ability to upset the biggest teams in Europe when they beat Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League.

PSG, meanwhile, have won eight from eight in the league to soar to the top of the table.

Lyon drew with Nantes in their previous league game – Nabil Fekir missed a penalty late on which would have got them an additional two points on a frustrating afternoon – and they will be looking to bounce back quickly.

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Key battles

Anthony Lopes, the Lyon goalkeeper, will need to be on top form against the familiar threat of PSG’s front trident: Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani.

Houssem Aouar in Lyon’s midfield will be crucial to the battle, facing a tough challenge against more experienced opponents such as Marco Veratti and Adrien Rabiot. He is just 20 years old but is the next star that will be coveted all over Europe.

Fekir and Memphis Depay will need to work back to help their defensive players, but can also threaten PSG going the other way and help push them back a little.

Moussa Dembele, who arrived from Celtic in the summer, will start up front, and will battle with Presnel Kimpembe, another young starlet, and the heart of the PSG defence.

Previous meetings

The last game between the sides ended with Lyon coming out on top. Dani Alves – injured this time around – was sent off on the day and Depay provided a winning goal four minutes into added time.

PSG won the reverse fixture, at home, 2-0, with Lyon scoring two own goals, and Cavani missing a penalty.

Over the last 23 meetings between the pair, Lyon have only won four times; PSG, in contrast, have won 15 times, including a 4-1 thrashing in the French Super Cup in August 2016. They also won 5-1 against Lyon in Ligue 1 back in December 2015 and 4-0 almost two years earlier.

With Memphis and Fekir, Lyon are a better team now and both teams should be confident of scoring, but whether Lyon can become the first team to take points off PSG in the league this season remains to be seen.

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