Ligue 1 Predictions | Round 31

Ligue 1 Predictions, Round 31

GFFN editor-in-chief  Luke Entwistle and GFFN’s  Raphaël Jucobin face off in our Ligue 1 predictions competition. It’s three points for a correct score, two points for a correct score difference, and one point for a correct result. Who will come out on top at the end of the season?

Scores

Raphaël: 157

Luke: 166

Game of the week:  Olympique Lyonnais v AS Monaco, Sunday 18:00 (UK)

A comprehensive 4-1 defeat to PSG has brought Lyon back down to earth. There is no doubt how far Pierre Sage has brought the club in recent months but the way in which his defence was dismantled, time and time again, by Les Parisiens also shows how far they still have to go. Four first-half goals ended the game as a contest prematurely, despite key performers such as Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé not even setting foot on the pitch. Sage has been criticised for altering his shape against PSG, opting for an ambitious 4-2-3-1. “There was an unbalance in the way in which we attacked and defended,” said Sage post-match, alluding to a return to his favoured 4-1-4-1.

After three consecutive losses against Monaco, Lyon did, however, beat the Principality club earlier this season. The 1-0 win at the Stade Louis II in December amidst the club’s impressive and very immediate revival under Sage. Monaco can be forgiven for being surprised by OL’s level during that encounter but there can be no excuses this time around. Adi Hütter is aware that this is the “decisive week” of the season and there is a strong motivation to wrap up that podium spot and finish the season relatively serenely. Against Brest and Lille, they showed an intensity, a desire and an energy that was sorely lacking in the run-in last year and in this form,