Besiktas, one of our representatives who have yet to earn points in the UEFA Europa League, will face one of France’s strong teams, Olympique Lyon, away in the 3rd week match today. The black-and-white team, relying on the rising form of their attacking players, aims to break their poor run in Europe with a victory against Lyon. French football reporters made exclusive assessments about the match for Spor Arena. Our colleagues also revealed Olympique Lyon’s weakest point.
In the Super Lig, Besiktas, who defeated Konyaspor last week and is currently in 2nd place on the points table with one game in hand, is focused on their upcoming match against Olympique Lyon in the Europa League. The black-and-whites, who are looking to secure their first 3 points in Europe this season, are in pursuit of victory under the leadership of coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst. French colleagues warned Besiktas about the aspects of Lyon that they should pay attention to before the critical match at Parc Olympique Lyonnais Stadium.
FRENCH COMMENTS ON THE LYON-BESIKTAS MATCH:
Arnaud Clement (Le Progres):
“LYON IS PLAYING COLLECTIVELY IN DEFENSE AND ATTACK IN RECENT MATCHES”
Olympique Lyon has been among the top 4 teams in France, alongside PSG, Monaco, and Marseille, for the past two seasons. Last season, the club started the league very poorly, being in 18th place with 7 points, and faced the threat of relegation statistically. With the arrival of coach Pierre Sage, everything changed, and the club miraculously finished 6th last season, earning a spot in the Europa League. This season, the club faced difficulties linked to the summer transfer window and started badly again, suffering two defeats and facing major problems. However, since the end of August, things have really gained momentum. In the last 5 matches, we saw a truly collective game in both defense and attack. The last three victories against Glasgow Rangers (4-1), Nantes (2-0), and Le Havre (4-0) were truly successful and masterful.
“LACAZETTE, ZAHA, AND FOFANA ARE HIGH-QUALITY ATTACKING PLAYERS”
Lyon now has the belief and signs of being a team that can compete with the best in France and achieve an important career in Europe. Lyon has a very rich squad of 28 players, including many quality attackers such as Lacazette, Cherki, Fofana, Mikautadze, Benrahma, Zaha, and Orban. In midfield, Nemanja Matic, returning from injury, and French national team player Jordan Veretout are present. Corentin Tolisso, who has had physical difficulties following serious injuries but has returned to the national team level this season, will also be in this area. The two form players in the team are young and technical players Rayan Cherki and Malick Fofana, who has recently been called up to the Belgium National Team. They currently pose a threat in every way. There is a full sense of confidence in the team right now, and we see very few mistakes or weaknesses in Lyon.
“LYON IS FOCUSING ON CIRO IMMOBILE AND RAFA SILVA”
Considering the current form, I think Lyon will still have an advantage today. As they say, every streak has an end, but right now, we have a really good and cohesive team. In a press conference, Saïd Benrahma emphasized how great a club Besiktas is with its history, current form, and second place in the league. Coach Pierre Sage also said: “These two teams are similar in their attacking styles. We need to attack more and more effectively than them. That way, we will ensure they have less possession and fewer opportunities. This is our goal.” On the other hand, Lyon is focusing on two great attacking talents, Ciro Immobile, known for his performances at Lazio and Inter, and Rafa Silva, who played against Lyon in the Champions League with Benfica.Regis Dupont (L’équipe):
“RAFA SILVA CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH A SINGLE PASS AND TOUCH”
Lyon is going through a good phase, winning 5 consecutive matches in their last 5 games. They played 3 of these in the French League and 2 in the Europa League. Compared to the beginning of the season, they are playing better and taking more defensive precautions. They used to concede many goals early in the season, but now they are more consistent in that regard. Goalkeeper Perri has had a positive impact on the team because of this. Offensively, the two wingers, Cherki and Fofana, are currently the key players. Tolisso has also found good form. Besiktas seems to deserve better results. I think Lyon needs to be cautious about Rafa Silva. He is a very different player who can make a difference with a single pass and touch.
Alexandre Corboz (But Football Club):
“LYON’S BIGGEST WEAKNESS IS THAT THEIR DEFENSE IS VERY SLOW”
Olympique Lyon started the season poorly but has been on the rise since their home defeat against Marseille (2-3) on September 22. They have secured five consecutive wins in both the league and Europe. They’ve climbed to 7th place in Ligue 1 and won their first two Europa League matches. This means that a victory against Besiktas will put them in a strong position for the next round. After some experimentation, Lyon’s coach Pierre Sage has settled on a 4-3-3 system, which can shift to a 4-2-3-1 depending on the opponent. The attacking trio of Malick Fofana, Alexandre Lacazette, and Rayan Cherki is in great form. Rayan Cherki is definitely a player to watch. Lyon’s biggest weakness, however, is that their defense is very slow and often poorly positioned. In France, we don’t follow the Turkish League much, but we know that Besiktas is trying to keep up with league leaders Galatasaray. The standout player for Besiktas is undoubtedly the Italian forward, Ciro Immobile.
“THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE STADIUM IS LIKELY TO BE HEATED FOR BESIKTAS”
The atmosphere for Besiktas is likely to be heated, especially due to the events during the first match between the two clubs in 2017. Olympique Lyon management is doing everything possible to minimize the number of Turkish fans in the stands. The police presence will be crucial as there are fears of clashes both inside and outside the stadium.
