Lyon v PSG: Fonseca urges OL to stay ambitious despite the odds

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·8 November 2025

Lyon v PSG: Fonseca urges OL to stay ambitious despite the odds

This Sunday at 8:45 PM (broadcast on Ligue1+) Paris Saint-Germain (1st) faces Olympique Lyonnais (6th) at the Groupama Stadium as part of the 12th day of Ligue 1 2025-2026. In a press conference, Lyon's coach Paulo Fonseca spoke about this match and the Parisian opponent. The Portuguese coach knows that his team will have to endure against the European champion, but he demands courage and ambition from his players, despite several offensive absences.

Fonseca “It's a match where we risk spending more time without the ball”

“It's a match where we risk spending more time without the ball. But we want to have the opportunity to attack while being defensively rigorous. We need to be balanced and learn to work mainly without the ball. There are so many good players that there is never a good time to face PSG. When we approach the opponent's goal, we need to be more ambitious. The team must be more ambitious and take risks. With the absences of Ernest Nuamah and Malick Fofana, we lack players capable of breaking through. But I trust the players who will be there. A special match? Let's say it's a match where we will have to work harder, but it's a match that also motivates more.”, remarks relayed by Le Progrès.

Always faithful to his tactical demands, Paulo Fonseca has hidden nothing: his OL risks spending long sequences without the ball against PSG. Aware of the power gap, he wants to see his team “balanced” and capable of working tirelessly in defensive phases. The absences of Ernest Nuamah (20 years old) and Malick Fofana (21 years old) deprive Lyon of depth and explosiveness, but the coach refuses resignation.

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He wants a team that dares, that takes risks when the opportunity arises. Fonseca approaches this home duel as a test of character: to suffer, yes, but always with the will to attack and believe in their game. We will also watch how the Parisians, decimated, will react after the defeat against Bayern Munich.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.