PSG vs Lyon Odds & Prediction: France League Cup Final July 31
- The French League Cup final will be played at the Stade de France on Friday night
- PSG line up against Lyon, with the Parisiens looking to tie up the domestic treble
- We’ll preview the game, look at the odds and offer a pick
The 2019–20 Coupe de la Ligue finally concludes on Friday night, over a year after the competition began, when Paris Saint-Germain take on Lyon in the Stade de France, on Friday, July 31, KO at 4:10 pm EST.
For PSG, this is a chance to make it another domestic treble after winning a truncated Ligue 1 on points-per-game and the Coupe de France Final last Friday by beating Saint Etienne 1-0.
We’ll preview the game, look at how the teams have fared since the restart, and look for some good bets.
PSG vs Lyon French League Cup Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline at DraftKings | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSG | -1.25 (-104) | -225 | Ov 2.5 (+130) |
| Lyon | +1.25 (-121) | +500 | Un 2.5 (-177) |
| Draw | N/A | +370 | N/A |
Odds taken July 28
PSG Lining Up the French Treble… Again
PSG were presented with their fourth straight Ligue 1 title when, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league was canceled and decided on a points-per-game basis. At the time, Thomas Tuchel’s men were eight points clear of second-placed Marseille with one game in hand, so were already champions-elect.
They wrapped up the second part of the treble when, last Friday, they beat Saint Etienne 1-0 in the final of the Coupe de France in front of 2,805 spectators in the Stade de France. This Friday, a restricted crowd of 5,000 will witness their attempt to make in three domestic trophies out of three.
Scintillating Form
The Parisiens have an immediate advantage over Lyon due to having already played (and won) a post-lockdown game, but prior to the enforced break, they were already in scintillating form. Wins in Ligue 1 over Bordeaux (4-3) and Dijon (4-0) in February were followed up with an even more emphatic 5-1 win over this Friday’s opponents in the Coupe de France semi-final. In the Champions League, they beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at home to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit and earn themselves a place in the competition’s last eight.
❤️ 𝗜𝗖𝗜 𝗖'𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗦 💙 pic.twitter.com/i2Thq4kmnw
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) July 24, 2020
As part of their post-lockdown preparations, they have played Le Havre (9-0 win), and Celtic (4-0 win) and, of course, have already had competitive action in the Coupe de France. Unfortunately for PSG, striker Kylian Mbappé picked up an injury against St. Etienne and so will miss out on Friday night, as will German defender Thilo Kehrer.
PSG vs Lyon Head-to-Head Stats
| 3 | Games played in 2019/20 League Cup | 3 |
| 13 | Goals scored | 9 |
| 2 | Goals conceded | 4 |
| 6-1 vs St Etienne | Biggest win | 4-1 vs Toulouse |
| 9 | Number of League Cup finals | 5 |
| 8 | Number of times League Cup winners | 1 |
| 1st | Final Ligue 1 position | 7th |
Rusty Lyon
Lyon were fourth when the Ligue 1 season was canceled but had played more games than some of their rivals and so dropped to seventh when points-per-game were used to decide the final standings. Prior to the enforced break, Rudi Garcia’s men had beaten Juventus 1-0 in the Champions League (the return leg is in Turin on August 7) and Saint Etienne 2-0 against in the league but were beaten 5-1 by PSG in the semifinal of the Coupe de France and 1-0 by Lille immediately prior to lockdown.
PSG wrapped up the second part of the treble when, last Friday, they beat Saint Etienne 1-0 in the final of the Coupe de France in front of 2805 spectators in the Stade de France.
In preparing for the League Cup final, Lyon have played four friendlies, beating Nice 1-0 and Celtic 2-1 and losing 2-0 to Rangers and 3-2 to Gent 3-2. The good news for Rudi Garcia is that he has a full squad to pick from for the final and it’s worth noting that during the friendlies he has tinkered with his team’s formation, using a back three instead of his preferred back-four.
Everything in PSG’s Favor
In terms of head-to-heads, it’s not as one-sided as you would expect with PSG winning 38 of their 83 games – Lyon winning 25. More relevant perhaps is that in their three competitive matches this season, PSG won all of them, winning 1-0 and 4-2 in the league and, of course, 5-1 in the French Cup.
First session of the week ahead of Friday's @CoupeLigueBKT final! 🏆#PSGOLpic.twitter.com/iWysrtvsSG
— OL English 🇬🇧 (@OL_English) July 27, 2020
But it’s PSG’s overall recent record that spells out just what a big ask this is for Lyon. The Parisiens have won 22 of their last 25 competitive matches in all competitions, and have scored ‘Over 2.5 goals’ in 12 of their last 14 games against Lyon. They even have the advantage of having played a competitive cup final within the last seven days whereas Lyon haven’t kicked a ball in anger since the middle of March.
So, while the odds-on for the win is not especially attractive, tieing it in with the plus-money over 2.5 goals makes for a value bet.
Pick: PSG to win (-225) and over 2.5 goals (+130)
Once just a sports fanatic, fan-turned-writer Gary Gowers has been featured on European television and radio networks to discuss several professional football clubs. His work can be found in an assortment of publications like The Metro, MyFootballWriter.com, and BBC Radio Norfolk.
