Lyon-Villarreal: market values and stats

Olympique Lyonnais should be the favorites against Villarreal, just judging by the market values transfermarkt assigns to the players of the two teams.

The Lyon squad has a value of nearly €300 million; keeper Anthony Lopes clocks in at €16m, the defenders aren’t terribly impressive but then we get to the midfield. Lucas Tousart is a young (20 year-old) box-to-box midfielder rated at €25m; Bertrard Traouré is a 22 year-old right winger, Burkina Faso international, rated at €25m; Memphis Depay, €28m rated 24 year-old left winger (9 goals), Nabil Fekir is a €50m (!) rated central offensive midfielder (16 goals so far); while Houssem Aouar is a 19 year-old central midfielder (€25m rated), and then there’s Mariano Diaz, a 24 year-old striker with 14 goals to his name.

Whoscored helpfully points out that Fekir has been the man of the match 11 times in Lyon’s 25 matches (they have had a player as tops 19 of the 25). They give Lyon a 6.98 overall rating, and 9 of their starters average above that (one, Rafael, is injured).

How does Villarreal match up? Overall market value, €175 million, so well below Lyon’s; of that, Rodri (€20m), Mario Gaspar (€16m), Fornals (€15m), Trigueros (€15m) and Victor Ruiz (€14m) are the highest.

Whoscored shows Villarreal at 6.79 overall, 5 players are above 7 and 5 others between 6.8 and 7. And as for individual man of the match performances, we have 11 in our 23 matches and no one has more than three.

To put it another way, although they are a much different team in style of play, Lyon’s team rating is close to Atleti’s, and their team value close to Valencia’s. I guess that makes me feel better.