Olympique Lyonnais vs Manchester City, UEFA Champions League Matchday 5: Team News, Preview and Prediction

Competition/Round: 2018/19 UEFA Champions League Season – Matchday 5

Date/Time: Olympique Lyonnais vs Manchester City – Tuesday, 27 November 2018, 20:00 (UK & Nigeria); 15:00 EST, 12:00 PST (USA); 00:00 IST (India)

Venue: Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu, Rhône, France

Match Officials:

Referee: Gianluca Rocchi

Assistants: Elenito Giovanni Di Liberatore, Mauro Tonolini

Fourth Official: Matteo Passeri

TV Info: Galavision (USA)

Live Stream: BT Sport Live (UK); Fubo.tv (USA). Fubo.tv shows every Manchester City game in a high quality, legal stream. New to Fubo.tv? Click here to sign up at a discounted rate.

Radio: BBC Radio Manchester (UK)

Preview:

The 2018/19 UEFA Champions League Group Stage is back underway. Olympique Lyonnais will host Manchester City in Group F on Matchday 5.

Much has changed since their previous encounter. Following Lyon’s shock 2-1 victory in Manchester, the Frenchmen have climbed several places in the Ligue 1 table. They currently sit in second place in the French top division and seem to be a real threat this season. Former Manchester United striker Memphis Depay has also wreaked havoc for the French side. Aside from the Dutchman, Lyon have a series of prolific strikers and midfielders who have fared well in both domestic and international play.

Their ability on the ball and their pace will trouble City’s defenders. Should the Frenchmen hope to progress to the competition’s knockout stages, they will need to defeat their visitors on Matchday 5.

This will be no easy task, however. Manchester City recently earned their twelfth clean sheet of the season in a rather convincing display against West Ham United. The Blues scored three goals in the opening thirty minutes. By halftime, it was a foregone conclusion the men in blue would win the match. This allowed them to prepare for their upcoming Champions League fixture against Lyon on Tuesday.

City currently sit at the top of Group F having won three matches. A point against Lyon will secure passage to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, yet it is likely City manager Pep Guardiola will do everything in his power to ensure his side win in France. A victory on Tuesday would mean City would win the group, and this would mean that City would potentially face an easier opponent in the competition’s knockout stages.

How will these sides fare on Matchday 5?

Team News:

Olimpique Lyonnais are relatively healthy, with only Amine Gouiri and Léo Dubois out injury. In other news, former Blue Jason Denayer enjoyed the spoils in the reverse fixture as Lyon won 2-1 in Manchester. Lyon currently sit in second place in Group F, and a win against City would see them secure a spot in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.

Meanwhile, Manchester City’s Claudio Bravo, Kevin De Bruyne, Benjamin Mendy and Bernardo Silva remain injured. They will not feature in this match.

Possible Lineups:

Olympique Lyonnais

Formation: 3-4-1-2

Lopes; Denayer, Marcelo, Morel; Tete, Tousart, Alvaro, Mendy; Aouar; Depay, Dembélé

Manager: Bruno Génésio

Manchester City

Formation: 4-3-3

Ederson; Walker, Stones, Laporte, Delph; D. Silva, Fernandinho, Mahrez; Sterling, Agüero, Sané

Manager: Pep Guardiola

Prediction:

Much has changed for Olympique Lyonnais since their encounter against Manchester City in September 2018. The French side now sit in second place in Ligue 1 and have a goal difference of positive eight. As things stand, however, their main opponents Paris Saint-Germain sit in first place in the table. PSG are 15 points above Lyon.

As strange as things may seem, Lyon have a better chance of progressing to the UEFA Champions League knockout stages, and potentially winning the international tournament, rather than winning their domestic league. As a result, the Frenchmen will do everything in their power to ensure they defeat their visitors on Tuesday.

Yet City seem to have learned their lesson from their previous encounter. Following their defeat to Lyon in September, the Blues have won twelve of their thirteen matches in all competitions. Their only nonvictory was a draw against Liverpool at Anfield. Moreover, City have kept a clean sheet in 10 of these 13 matches. The biggest statistic, however, is that they have scored 42 goals whilst conceding only three.

With these figures in mind, it seems City will continue to press forward in their impressive fashion. The Blues will be out for revenge in this fixture, and based on their current form, it would be very difficult to bet against the traveling side. Given the stakes of this match, it is predicted the opening minutes will see a cagey affair. A determined City side, however, should be enough to secure a victory and passage into the competition’s Round of 16.

Olympique Lyonnais 1-3 Manchester City