Lorient vs Olympique Lyon Prediction: pay attention to the morale of both teams

Olympique Lyon suffered a big setback last weekend and the fans are once again in confusion on how the events will turn out from here on. They've been on a fine run that's changed their position on the table and got them competing for a top spot on the table but losing 3-0 at home has put a dent in their hopes of achieving their aims. Olympique Lyon will now lick their wounds and get back on the pitch to face Lorient at the Stade Yves Allainmat-Le Moustoir. Lorient are also building something quite remarkable at the moment. It's not perfect but it's a run that every team will look at with caution when they prepare to face Lorient. 

Olympique Lyon and Lorient go to battle for an important 3 points and a defeat will definitely be a hard pill for either team to swallow.

Lorient

Lorient wants to keep proving the doubters wrong and keep getting the right results. What they have achieved in the last 6 games has been very good. In those 6 games they had 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat. And at the moment they seem to be progressing towards mid-table gradually. Although they are ranked 13th at present.

Lorient recovered perfectly from the 1-0 defeat to Nantes 2 weeks ago, to beat Stade Rennes away from home last weekend. By all indications, it was an almost impossible result but Lorient dug in and came off with a 2-1 win. Mohamed Bamba opened the scoring in the 59th minute and Eli Junior Koupi doubled the lead in the 90th minute.

Lorient manager Régis Le Bris sees the momentum building within the team and he's most likely to maintain the shape of the squad ahead of the game with Lyon. Unfortunately, he might have to play without Mohamed Bamba after he picked up a knock in the game against Rennes. Gedeon Kalulu is likely going to replace Bamba at the strike position.

Olympique Lyon

It was heartbreaking for the Lyon fans to see their team get torn apart by RC Lens last weekend. The fans had been treated to a dramatic period with lots of positive results and of course the progress on the Ligue 1 table. Lyon were back playing right way after such a poor run at the start of the season. But the defeat to RC Lens might just be the beginning of another poor run for the club once again.

Olympique Lyon were lined up in the traditional 4-3-3 formation against RC Lens. The performance was below expectations but they were not far behind on stats. They managed 47% possession, 4 shots on target and 3 big chances created. They also had 3 counter attacks during the game and took 11 shots in the opponent's box. All efforts from the Lyonnaise team proved fruitless as RC Lens took the lead in the first half, then doubled the lead in the second half before Ainsley Maitland Niles was sent off for Lyon in the 84th minute. It was a horrible day for the Lyonnaise supporters and players.

Olympique Lyon manager Pierre Sage will have a tough job on his hands to decide how this team approaches the coming game. Another defeat would totally wreck the morale of the team and it must be avoided at all costs. Alexandre Lacazette is a doubt for the trip to Lorient after picking up an injury in the Coup de France game against RC Strasbourg last week.

Head to Head

According to the h2h, in the last 20 meetings Lyon won 7 games, while Lorient won 4 and 9 games ended in a draw.

Analysis and Predictions

The most important factor to consider ahead of this game is the morale of both clubs. Lorient seems to have a high morale after their last win over Stade Rennes while Lyon are facing the exact opposite from their defeat to RC Lens. Olympique Lyon manager Pierre Sage will need to find a way to get these players playing at the same levels they were in previously. The loss of Alexandre Lacazette is surely going to play a huge role in the coming fixtures. So yea, Olympique Lyonnais are heading right into the storm.

According to the h2h, Lorient have not lost the last 3 meetings. Both teams scored in 7 of the last 8 meetings and there were less than 4.5 corners in the last 10 meetings.

• Lorient Over 4 Corners at 1.78 Odds
• Lorient Over 4 Corners at 1.76 Odds
• Draw FT at 3.40 Odds