This weekend, Olympique Lyonnais presents itself to Lens for the first day of Ligue 1 with a staff of 21 players selected by Paulo Fonseca. The Portuguese coach can count on a complete group, integrating new recruits like Nicolas Tagliafico and Adam Karabec, although the first one is still in the physical recovery phase and the second one has participated in only a few trainings. The young talents who marked the pre-season, such as Khalis Merah and Alejandro Gomes Rodriguez, are also present. Teo Barišić, Paul Akoúkou and Mahamadou Diawara were left in Lyon. This meeting also marks the return of Pierre Sage, former OL coach, against his former club. The match, which will take place on Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, is a major shock for both teams, both aiming for a European qualification.
The summer was marked by important departures at Olympique Lyonnais, notably the iconic attacker Alexandre Lacazette, who gave his armband to Corentin Tolisso. He expressed his pride and ambition to wear the Lyon jersey as captain, while paying tribute to his predecessor. The arrival of a new goaltender, Dominik Greif of Mallorca, is also an important point. This Slovak player is committed to five years and arrives to replace Lucas Perrin, who left in Leeds. OL took their time in this process, awaiting confirmation of Majorca’s payment arrangements, convinced by Rémy Descamps’ summer preparation work, which should start the season by keeping the cages.
The OL group for Saturday’s game includes players like Patouillet, Descamps, Diawara, and others, with some absences due to injuries (Orel MangaÅ‚a and Ernest Nuamah) or tactical choices (Mahamadou Diawara and Paul Akoúkou). The match against Lens is therefore a crucial opportunity for OL to start the season on good bases and confirm their European ambitions. The meeting promises to be an exciting confrontation, with important issues for both teams.