L’Équipe are reporting that Olympique Lyonnais’ Thiago Mendes (30) is a serious doubt to face Grenoble in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France on Tuesday.
The Brazilian midfielder was injured during Les Gones’ victory over SCO Angers on Saturday and had to come off with an adductor problem. He is now, therefore, a doubt to face Grenoble in the Coupe de France quarter-final on Tuesday. He is also a doubt to face FC Lorient over the weekend.
Lyon are already without Houssem Aouar and Corentin Tolisso for the tie, which is the club’s only shot of silverware this season. As a result, the inexperienced duo of Maxence Caqueret and Johann Lepenant are set to start at the heart of Lyon’s midfield. Mohamed El Arouch could feature from the bench for Les Gones.
Manager Laurent Blanc often likes to give opportunities to the club’s academy players, evidenced by his frequent utilisation of Rayan Cherki, but on Tuesday, his deployment of the club’s youth will be out of necessity rather than choice.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
