Montpellier and Lyon will close on Wednesday, February 7, the round of the last 16 of the French Cup. In the stadium of the Mosson, in Montpellier, the match begins at 18h (BrasÃlia time).
The rules of the tournament establish a single game definition. Thus, only those who survive survive. Draw causes a 30 minute extension and if equality persists, the definition of the quarterfinals will be made in a penalty shootout.
The recent performance of Montpellier
Making a good season, Montpellier reacted to the two defeats suffered in the sequence by defeating on Saturday, February 3, the Angers. Acting at home, he scored 2 to 1 with 34 points (eight wins, 10 draws and six losses). It occupies the sixth place in the Ligue 1.
It does not have bigger pretensions in the competition. It is 14 points away from Lyon, which closes the European Tournament classification block in fourth place. He also got a considerable advantage in the fight against relegation. It has nine points more than Lille, eighteenth placed and first in the sticking region.
This quiet situation has allowed the team to invest more in the competition of the cups. Montpellier reached the semifinals of the League Cup. It ended up falling before the Monaco, in the stadium of the rival, when losing by 2 to 0.
In the Cup of France, debuted already in step number three overtaking the Pontarlier with great difficulty. In the opponent’s field, he tied for 1 to 1 in normal time, held the 0-0 in extra time even with one less athlete (defender Paulo Mendes had been sent off) and ended up taking the best in penalty kicks. In the next step also had no easy life. However, at home, he managed to push Lorient to 4-2.
The current form of Lyon
Lyon have come from two straight defeats, both in the French Championship. In the twenty-third round, it took Bordeaux 3-1 at the rival’s home. Then on Sunday, February 4, he lost the classic to Monaco. Again as a visitor, it took 3 to 2.
This last failure still had an aggravating factor. Monegasque striker Balde Keita was sent off in the first half when the game was tied at 2-2. Even with a numerical advantage, Lyon could not balance the net of the rival and took the playoff goal in the 43rd minute final step.
The two rounds without scoring made the team lose two positions on the leaderboard. With 48 points (14 wins, six draws and four losses), he was beaten by Olympique de Marseille and Monaco out of the Champions League qualifying zone.
The most recent victory of the Lyon team was in the French Cup. In the fourth round, they defeated Monaco, also in the rival’s home, 3-2. Before, in his debut in the competition, he overcame Nancy under the same conditions: as a visitor and by 3-2.
History of the bouts between Montpellier and Lyon
The teams have already had three matches in the current season. The first was in a friendly match played in July. There was a tie for 1 to 1. The second was for the first round of the French Championship. In Lyon, a new draw. This time without goals. The third was for the French League Cup. At home, Montpellier took the best and eliminated the rival scoring 4-1.
Montpellier have the second best defense of the French Championship. In 24 matches, he conceded just 20 goals. Only the Paris Saint-Germain, leader has superior defensive system. It took 17 goals in the same number of games.
The attack, however, has not worked with the same efficiency. They were only 22 goals scored. It’s the worst performance in the top ten. Lyon scored more than twice as many goals. They were 54. His defense, however, has lower numbers having been leaked 28 times.
The tie in regulation time appears as a good option for the duel. Has a prize of 3.30 in Bet365. Victory of the constituents yields 2.90 and of the visitors pays 2,50. Prices in effect at 13:48 on 2/5/2018.