first test for the Lyonnais against Marseille, with their new recruits

Sunday evening, Olympico will be played with Lyon’s new recruits from the winter transfer window.

The 20th day of Ligue 1 ends on Sunday February 4 with Olympico, OL-OM at Groupama Stadium. A clash of cripples between OM, 7th in the standings – far from their ambitions at the start of the season – and OL, who have changed coaches three times in the space of six months – on the edge of the zone red. The Rhone club took the means, during the winter transfer window, to save its season.

If money does not necessarily buy happiness, in football it greatly contributes to results. Olympique Lyonnais understood this well, this winter its owner John Textor did not skimp on resources: 55 million euros. OL was the biggest spending club in the five major European championships with varied profiles.

“Positive problems to manage”

From the young Belgian hopeful Malick Fofana to the experienced Serbian Nemanja Matic, stolen from Stade Rennais, or Saïd Benrhama, who arrived on the gong from West Ham, Lyon coach Pierre Sage is now spoiled for choice: “The idea, when we strengthen ourselves in a winter transfer window and when we are in our situation, is to offer new solutions. And when we offer new solutions, the cards are redistributed and inevitably the attitudes in training, in performances, will evolve. In any case, I am very happy to have staffing problems to manage in this sense, they are rather positive problems to manage.”

It’s up to him to find the right assembly as quickly as possible because time is running out. In the standings, the Lyonnais, who have two defeats, have almost no margin with the relegation zone. OL-OM: a match without Marseille supporters, banned from traveling.