For the fourth time in the last five editions of the Coupe de France, Lyon will feature in the semi-finals, hosting Valenciennes on Tuesday at Groupama Stadium.
OL ousted Strasbourg on penalties in the last eight (4-3) after that match ended in a 0-0 draw, while Valenciennes played to a 1-1 stalemate with Rouen, advancing from that quarter-final in a shootout (4-2).
Match preview
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We have become accustomed to seeing Lyon at the penultimate hurdle of this competition, and they made it again this season by thinnest of margins.
Their last three Coupe de France triumphs were decided by a goal or fewer, while OL have earned a positive result in their last eight competitive fixtures when the margin was that thin.
Lyon have scored a goal or fewer in their last four home contests in all competitions but have not won at Groupama Stadium in 90 minutes since mid-February (1-0 win over Nice in Ligue 1).
While they are used to getting to this stage of the tournament, advancing beyond the semi-finals at the Coupe de France has been a different story, with Olympique Lyonnais being eliminated in their previous four appearances at this stage of the tournament.
The only two times this century in which they won their Coupe de France semi-final encounter, Lyon went on to lift the trophy, though that has not happened since the 2011-12 campaign when they defeated Ajaccio in the semis and blanked Quevilly (1-0) to capture the title.
Under Pierre Sage, Les Gones have not just done well at this tournament, but they have been among the best sides in the French top flight, claiming 19 points in Ligue 1 this year, the second-most behind Rennes (20) in 2024, while currently sitting 10th in the table after being in danger of relegation when Sage arrived.
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Time is running out for Valenciennes to try to salvage their domestic season, though their run at the Coupe de France has been a great consolation.
Ahmed Kantari's men are dead last in Ligue 2 with 17 points and are 18 points below safety with just eight domestic contests remaining.
Valenciennes have endured a penalty shootout twice in this edition of the Coupe de France, defeating Rouen in the previous round despite having just 31% of the possession.
That quarter-final triumph is the only time in their last six competitive fixtures that Valenciennes found the back of the net, failing to score a single goal in March.
It has been over a half century since their previous appearance in the semi-finals of this tournament, losing 2-0 on aggregate to Nantes during the 1969-70 season, while they only advanced beyond this stage once before, defeating Saint-Etienne in April 1951 (3-1), only to lose the final weeks later to Strasbourg (3-1).
They are winless in their previous five meetings with Lyon and have not won an away game against them since December 1977, when OL played their home games at Stade de Gerland and Les Atheniens came away with a 2-1 triumph.
Team News
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Adryelson was not available for Lyon once again over the weekend in their 1-1 domestic draw with Reims, while their leading goalscorer in Ligue 1, Alexandre Lacazette, played just over an hour on Saturday despite being taken off in their 3-2 victory over Toulouse with an apparent knock.
Clinton Mata is eligible to play in this match after sitting out of their domestic contest this past weekend through suspension, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles featuring in his place.
Lucas Perri has started the last three games for OL in the Coupe de France in place of first-choice goalkeeper Anthony Lopes, and he was the hero in the quarter-finals, stopping Thomas Delaine from 12 yards away, while Lucas Perrin missed his spot kick to send Lyon into the semi-finals.
Valenciennes could be missing three players for this semi-final fixture as Allan Linguet has a sore foot, while David Kruse and Jordan Poha are questionable with unknown injuries.
From their last 16 match to their quarter-final affair, we saw five newcomers in the starting 11 for Les Atheniens, including Linguet, Lucas Woudenberg, Julien Masson, Anthony Knockaert and Sirine Doucoure.
Mathias Oyewusi notched the only goal in their semi-final encounter, and despite Nick Venema missing his penalty against Rouen, Jean Louchet stopped Abdeljalil Sahloune from 12 yards out and Zana Allee struck the bar with his effort, allowing Valenciennes to progress.
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Perri; Kumbedi, O'Brien, Caleta-Car; Mata, Caqueret, Matic, Henrique; Cherki; Lacazette, Balde
Valenciennes possible starting lineup:
Louchet; Linguet, Cuffaut, Basse, Woudenberg; El Amri, Moursou, Banse, Hamache; Lilepo, Oyewusi
We say: Lyon 3-0 Valenciennes
Given how poor their domestic campaign has gone, Valenciennes deserve much credit for their performance at the Coupe de France, though they have not faced many top-class sides to get here.
Lyon have been one of the hottest teams in the French top flight this year, and regardless of who plays on Tuesday, we believe even their reserves should be able to handle a side that seem destined to play in the third tier of French football next season.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
