Hello and welcome here the 20 Minutos! It’s the big night for the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, with this famous derby which divides both Lyon and Saint-Etienne. We are clearly not used to this shock, absolute rivalry of our Ligue 1, opposing the 11th to the 20th in the championship. But that’s how it is, the Lyonnais have been out of the first part of the standings for several weeks, and have shown that they were archi-convalescent during their success at Troyes last Sunday (0-1). In the camp opposite, the black series of ASSE stings badly with six losses in a row in L1. The central question will therefore be to know who will best manage the stakes around this meeting in which the two teams have a lot to lose. Just imagine: a new misstep by OL could allow OGC Nice (2nd) to take a 13 or 14 point lead over the Lyonnais in the event of success on Sunday in Metz. Suffice to say that we would be very close to considering the unattainable podium objective for good. As for the Greens, they are already 5 lengths behind Lorient (18th) and Bordeaux (19th). And given their (non) dynamic (2 successes in 20 games), they cannot afford to let this gap grow if they want to have a chance to relive the derby next season. Let’s look at the absentees, because Peter Bosz and especially Pascal Dupraz are really not spoiled to prepare such a big meeting. On the OL side, almost the entire incumbent defense is absent, between the centrals Boateng (suspended), Denayer and Diomande (injured), and Emerson (positive for Covid-19). Other notable absentees: Toko Ekambi and Slimani (CAN), while Zimbabwean Tino Kadewere has already returned from Cameroon and is in the group. In Sainté, it’s the carnage at the executive level, between Bouanga, Khazri, Moukoudi, Neyou and Sow (CAN), Boudebouz and Trauco positive for Covid-19, plus two winter recruits formalized in recent hours, Mangala and Gnagnon, unqualified and in recovery.
We’ll meet you from 8:45 p.m. to find out how much Bosz and Dupraz went to great lengths to put together a competitive team in this context. Well, we suspect that we will not have made your mouth water with this presentation, but it’s still the derby, and you can come and follow it serenely over here. Because yes, it is almost confirmed that something will happen. Besides, the first leg (1-1) had turned out to be exciting, while the two teams had shown nothing crazy before (and even less after). See you soon, friends.
“To vibrate with us in front of this 124th derby in OL-ASSE history, meet here from 8:45 p.m., with a kick-off at 9 p.m.…