Get To Know Olympique Lyon: Manchester City’s Champions League Rival

The Champions League Quarter Final match for Man City is only 4 days and the opponent is a familiar one. Lyon is a dynamic and defensively solid team that Pep and his men will meet and it being a one off game will make things very interesting.

The Ligue 1 side gave City two incredibly tough games in the 2018/19 Champions League campaign, winning one and drawing the other as the teams clashed in the group stage of the competition.

This season for Lyon the domestic season has been a failure, finishing outside the top 4. However, their fortunes in the Champions League have been quite the opposite.

In a very tight group that included Red Bull Leipzig, Benfica and Zenit St Petersburg, Lyon had to come back from 2-0 down at home to Leipzig in the final group game to draw 2-2 and take the point they needed to qualify. It was nervy.

That set up a tough Round of 16 clash with Juventus, but a 1-0 first leg lead by way of a 31^st-minute Lucas Tousart goal, gave Lyon a slender advantage to take to Turin.

In the second leg this past Friday, Cristiano Ronaldo bagged two, but Lyon held out to lose 2-1 and progress on away goals.

A great result and add their performances against City last season, they represent no small task for City for progression to the semi-finals.

Team wise, their squad is led by Rudi Garcia, a recently appointed head man. On the job sicne October, the trail has been hit or miss with Garcia proving a competent manager able to keep them in the hunt, but not reaching the top 4 domestically is a sour note. In UCL. Rudi has had help from a true difference maker and a solid defense that made this appearance in the quarter final possible.

Enter Memphis Depay. Lyon’s talisman and also captains the side.

During the group stages, he scored five goals in five games and it was his crucial penalty against Juventus that took Lyon into the quarter-finals, becoming only the second Dutch player to score in six consecutive Champions League fixtures.

A solid defense led by Jason Denayer has held up admirably and could be a tough go Saturday.

This is a Lyon team City should not take lightly.

We will find out Saturday.