Sure Prediction For Today, Friday 31st July 2020

Key forward Kylian Mbappe was on the receiving end of some of the St. Etienne players’ overzealous tackling at the Stade de France, and the attacker, who came off injured in the 33rd minute, is a notable absentee for Friday.

After a disappointing Ligue 1 season that saw Lyon trapped in 7^th spot after the campaign was cut short, Les Gones have one more shot at ending their year-long adventure on a high in Friday’s cup final.

Lyon will have to perform significantly better than they did when they met PSG in the semi-final of the Coupe de France in March to stand a chance of causing an upset, however.

Rudi Garcia’s charges were dismantled 5-1 on that occasion – a result that followed relatively hot on the heels of another 4-2 thumping at the hands of Paris St. Germain in Ligue 1, though Lyon will hope that the absence of Kylian Mbappe, scorer of four goals in those contests, will make a difference this time around.

The return to fitness of Memphis Depay, who last played in December 2019, is also a major boost for Lyon ahead of Friday’s showpiece fixture, though it remains to be seen how ring rusty the Netherlands international is after his lengthy layoff.

While the last two meetings between PSG and Lyon have been gallingly one-sided, Friday’s Coupe de la Ligue Final promises to be much more keenly contested.

Paris St. Germain plundered nine goals in those two wide-margin victories over Les Gones at the beginning of the year, however, it’s worth acknowledging that in their most recent 5-1 win over Lyon, four of PSG’s goals were scored after their rivals were reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of Fernando Marcal on the hour.

With Kylian Mbappe sidelined, we don’t expect PSG to be quite as explosive in the final third this time around, however, with Angel di Maria, Mauro Icardi and Neymar still in tow, the Ligue 1 champions’ frontline is still sprinkled with enough stardust to just about outscore Lyon this week.

Lyon, who made an impact on the scoresheet in three of their last four meetings with PSG, also registered at least once in 17 of their last 19 competitive matches, and with talismanic figure Memphis Depay back in the fold, Les Gones can register again on Friday.

PSG was far from convincing in their Coupe de France victory over St. Etienne, and another tough test for the Parisians is expected against a Lyon side looking to land their first piece of silverware in six years.

However, PSG’s superior quality and greater big-game experience should eventually tell, and Thomas Tuchel’s side, who won 22 of their last 24 domestic fixtures, should complete their set of domestic trophies for 2019/20. Our prediction is Over 0.5 Goals in the 1st half.