Lyon vs PSG Prediction: Mbappe to fire first in French football farewell

French football's two most successful clubs of the 21st century face off at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve d'Ascq on Saturday, as Olympique Lyonnais and Paris Saint-Germain meet in the Coupe de France final.

Read my Lyon vs PSG prediction below as I ponder whether OL can beat the odds to lift the trophy for the first time since 2012.

A 95th-minute penalty from Alexandre Lacazette secured a 2-1 win for Lyon over Strasbourg on Sunday, a result which was enough to clinch a Europa League spot, something which must've felt like a distant reality when Pierre Sage took over the managerial reigns in November with OL bottom of Ligue 1.

Sage's side have now won seven of their last eight games across all competitions, but the only red mark against them came at the hands of PSG, who thrashed them 4-1 at the Parc des Princes on April 21, with departing forward Kylian Mbappe an unused substitute in that match.

Events since then haven't gone to plan for the Ligue 1 champions, who opened up May with three successive defeats, two in the Champions League semi-final to Borussia Dortmund, and one in the league to Toulouse, though they did finish the campaign with wins over Nice and Metz.

Team News

Lyon look to be at full strength heading into the final, but there is a decision to be made on who lines up in goal, with number one Anthony Lopes benched for the quarter-final and semi-final in favour of understudy Lucas Perri.

Mbappe was absent for PSG's last two league games but is set to return to the side on Saturday and make his farewell appearance.

He's likely to be joined in attack by Ousmane Dembele, who also missed his side's final two Ligue 1 fixtures.

Gianluigi Donnarumma, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha and Marquinhos are all set to join the French duo after sitting out against Metz.

Lyon vs PSG Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Lyon vs PSG page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Lyon have been priced at 4/1 to triumph inside 90 minutes on Saturday, giving them an implied win probability of 20%, while PSG are 8/15, or a 65.2% chance, and the draw at 3/1.

Both teams to score is available at 4/6 and over 2.5 goals at 4/7, while Mbappe is 4/6 to score anytime.

PSG to win & both teams to score @ 15/8

Lyon's fine form under Sage, coupled with PSG's uncertain end to the season, when they went winless in four games before beating Nice and Metz, has given some optimism that Saturday's final won't be as one-sided as one might ordinarily expect.

The Parisians choked in the Champions League semi-final and head coach Luis Enrique doesn't appear to have changed the mentality in the club just yet.

However, when it comes to French football, PSG are dominant, as evidenced in the nine-point gap between them and second-placed Monaco in Ligue 1, and that was with Enrique's side wrapping up the title early and dropping points in three of their last seven league games.

Lyon have done brilliantly since mid-December but their 4-1 defeat at the Parce des Princes is sure to play on their mind, with that the second time this season that they were beaten by that scoreline by PSG.

I expect the favourites to live up to their tag on Saturday, but Lyon can at least give their supporters something to shout about with a goal.

Both teams scored in 65% (22/34) of PSG's Ligue 1 matches, the joint-highest figure alongside Rennes, Strasbourg and Reims, and it landed in four straight league games before last Sunday's 2-0 win at Metz.

BTTS - Yes has also landed in eight of Lyon's last nine in Ligue 1 and in both meetings between the teams this season.

Kylian Mbappe first goalscorer @ 12/5

The French superstar has already waved his goodbyes to Paris, but one final match awaits for him to further cement his PSG legacy.

Mbappe should be encouraged by the identity of this weekend's opponents, as he has scored 13 goals in 15 appearances against Lyon, three of which came in the Coupe de France in March 2020.

He was left on the bench for the most recent head-to-head but bagged a brace at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in September, including the opening goal inside four minutes.

Mbappe has opened the scoring on nine separate occasions in 2024, including in his last game, a 3-1 defeat to Toulouse on May 12.

Accordingly, he is the shortest price to find the net first on Saturday, but 12/5 still represents value for easily the biggest goal threat in either lineup.

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