Orban to start in Derby des Olympiques

Gift Orban is set to start for Lyon in the highly anticipated Derby des Olympiques against Marseille on Sunday (today), PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The Nigerian striker, who made a match-winning cameo appearance against Strasbourg and started in the goalless draw against Lens, is expected to retain his place in the starting lineup ahead of Georges Mikautadze.

Lyon host Marseille in the first Derby des Olympiques of the season in Ligue 1, with the visitors making a strong start under Roberto De Zerbi, while Lyon linger in the bottom half of the table.

The fixture, which was initially devoid of bad blood, has turned ugly in recent years. No Marseille away fans will be present due to incidents due to previous unpalatable incidents, including the latest that saw Dimitri Payet and former Lyon boss Fabio Grosso being struck with objects, leading to postponements and games being played behind closed doors.

Marseille come into the match as clear favourites, having stayed unbeaten in their first four games of the season, leaving them second in the table behind only Paris Saint-Germain.

Lyon, on the other hand, have had a stuttering start to the campaign, losing their first two games to Monaco and Rennes. However, a 4-3 win over Strasbourg and a hard-fought goalless draw with Lens have given them some confidence heading into one of the biggest games of the season.

In the Lens match, Orban thought he had broken the deadlock twice, only to see both efforts ruled out by VAR. His first disallowed goal came in the 10th minute when Alexandre Lacazette opted to pass instead of shooting, finding Orban in an offside position.

The Nigerian’s second chalked-off strike occurred in the 57th minute, again falling foul of the offside trap.

Despite the frustrations arising from the disallowed goals, Orban’s overall performance and threat in front of goal have likely secured his place in the starting lineup for the crucial derby against Marseille.

As Lyon seek to climb the table and Marseille aim to keep pace with league leaders Paris Saint-Germain, all eyes will be on Orban to see if he can add to his two-goal tally so far in what promises to be a fiercely contested Derby des Olympiques billed to kick off at 8:45pm at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon.