Lyon will host Strasbourg in the first quarterfinal of the Coupe de France. Le Racing reached this level with a 3-1 victory over Le Havre. Les Gones moved to the last eight with a close 2-1 victory over Lille earlier this month.
Preview (Lyon vs. Strasbourg)
Lyon has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Coupe de France for the sixth time in a row. They won their first two games by a combined score of 2-1. OL averaging 1.9 points per game in Ligue 1 since the beginning of December. Only Paris Saint-Germain (2.6), Brest (2.2), and Rennes (2.1) have performed better domestically. Under Pierre Sage, a domestic campaign that faltered early on looks to be back on track. That is a quick turnaround for a team that finished last in the standings when Sage took over for Fabio Grosso in late November; after a 2-1 victory against Metz on Friday, OL is now in 10th place.
With a perfect record this month and a winning streak of five games in all competitions, Olympique Lyonnais has won all of their games by a single goal. Lyon has won four straight home games at the Coupe de France after defeating Monaco (2-0). They haven’t lost a home game since the 2021 quarterfinals against Monaco. Since their 5-1 loss to PSG in the 2020 semifinal, Lyon has not lost a Coupe de France match when scoring the first goal, despite giving up five consecutive goals in that match. So far, Strasbourg’s 2024 domestic campaign has not been easy.
This month, Patrick Vieira’s team has failed in every domestic match; in particular, February has been particularly difficult, as they have given up three goals in three straight matches in the top division. However, this season’s Coupe de France has gone somewhat better, as the Alsace team has qualified for the final eight for the first time since the 2017–18 campaign. Le RCS has lost its last two trips to this level of the competition and has not advanced past the quarterfinals since winning this competition in May 2001.
Team News
OL won’t be present. Henrique is battling with an unidentified injury. Corentin Tolisso has a hamstring strain. Johann Lepenant is out of this game due to a sprained knee. All three players should be back in early March. Only three Lyon players, Maxence Caqueret, Marcelick Fofana, and Ryan Cherki, were able to start their round of 32 matches and remain in the starting lineup for their round of 16 matches. Gift Orban scored the first goal for Cherki, who then scored the winner against Lille to advance to the quarterfinals.
Lebo Mothiba and Jeremy Sebas are expected to return next month. Moise Sahi is battling with a groyne strain, and both players will be sidelined for Tuesday’s match against Strasbourg due to knee problems. Despite missing last weekend’s 3-0 loss to Brest due to suspension, Thomas Delaine and Dilane Bakwa will both be able to participate in this match. In their last 16 victory over Le Havre, Bakwa scored the first goal. Marvin Senaya and Emile Emegha scored the other goals.
Lyon 2-0 Strasbourg
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