(REUTERS)

Visiting the Parc des Princes on Sunday night, Olympique Lyonnais is naturally expecting a difficult match. PSG has regained an excellent level of play. And the history of recent encounters does not inspire optimism on the Rhone side.

This is not the right time to cross paths with Paris Saint-Germain. After its elimination in the Champions League quarterfinals, Liverpool can confirm the Parisians' rise in power.

The doubts of the first part of the season are already far behind, and the European champion fully intends to string together victories until the end of the campaign. Nothing very reassuring for its next opponent, Olympique Lyonnais. Especially since the history of their recent encounters leans heavily to one side.

In all competitions, PSG has won its last six matches against Les Gones. To find a trace of an Olympique Lyonnais victory, one must go back to April 2, 2023, three years ago, when a certain Bradley Barcola scored the only goal of a Ligue 1 match (0-1) at the Parc des Princes.

It was one of only two Lyon victories against Paris Saint-Germain since 2020, a period during which the Parisians have won 12 of their 15 encounters, including a Coupe de la Ligue final in 2020 (0-0, 6-5 on penalties) and one in the Coupe de France in 2024 (2-1).

One can say that the Parisian club has gotten used to hurting Lyon. This partly explains the approach of the Rhone coach Paulo Fonseca. "The first objective will be to defend well against a team with a lot of mobility. We must be solid to create attacking opportunities. We have worked a lot on the defensive aspect. It is no different from other matches, except for the tactical preparation," he said, notably deprived of his captain, Corentin Tolisso, for this clash.