Manchester City welcome Olympique Lyonnais to the Etihad Stadium for their first game in this year’s Champions League Group F. Both will be desperate to get off to a good start in a group which also contains Shakhtar Donetsk and Hoffenheim. City, being the home side, will be under the most pressure to kick off their campaign with a victory. City are desperate to win this trophy and it is fast becoming their Holy Grail.
Manchester City v Lyon
How They Qualified
Manchester City qualified for this season’s tournament by breaking record after record as they ran away with the Premier League title. The Cityzens finished the season with a record 100 points and a record goals total of 106. The season also included a record-breaking 18 consecutive league victories.
Lyon finished third in last season’s Ligue 1. They ended up two points behind Monaco and 15 behind champions PSG. A hard-fought 3-2 victory over Nice in the last game ensured third-place and Champions League qualification. Their finish gave them yet another top-five league finish and their 22nd consecutive season in one of the top European competitions.
Last Season in the Champions League
City topped their group, winning five of their six games. The Round of 16 brought a 5-2 aggregate victory over Swiss side, Basel. The quarter-finals saw them pitted against Premier League rivals Liverpool. The Reds outplayed the Blues, winning 3-0 in the first leg at Anfield. The return leg saw City score early; however, they could not find a way to win as Liverpool again emerged victorious, this time 2-1.
Lyon did not feature in last season’s competition; however, they did compete in the Europa League. Having finished second in their group, Lyon defeated Villarreal 4-1 on aggregate before being knocked out on away goals by CSKA Moscow.
Champions League History
City have now qualified for the last seven consecutive Champions Leagues. They have yet to reach a final. The closest they got was a semi-final defeat at the hands of Real Madrid. Having spent millions in their pursuit of both domestic and European trophies, Pep Guardiola and his team will now feel they have their best ever chance of lifting Europes top prize.
Since their first foray in the Champions League during the 1999/00 season, Lyon have competed in 15 Champions Leagues. Their best performance came in the 2009/10 season. A semi-final appearance resulted in a 4-0 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich. It was a disappointing end to their campaign; however, it did see them defeat Real Madrid in the first knockout round.
Current Form
City currently sit third in the Premier League, winning four and drawing one. Impressive wins over Arsenal (0-2) and Huddersfield Town (6-1) was followed by an away draw at newly promoted and big-spending Wolves. This was followed by defeating Newcastle 2-1. Their last game against Fulham at the Etihad saw a comfortable 3-0 victory for the Blues.
Lyon have had an inconsistent start to their season. They currently lie seventh in the table following two wins, two defeats and one draw. They faced Caen in their last game where they they drew 2-2. Ferland Mendy got their equaliser in the 88th minute.
Ones to Watch
Pep Guardiola has an abundance of talent to call upon. He must feel that this will be his best chance to date to win the cup with City. Sergio Agüero, City’s current top scorer and all-time top scorer, will be eager to continue his good start to the season, if fit. Backed by the likes of Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, who gave a man of the match performance against Fulham, the exceptional David Silva and Leroy Sane, Agüero will have every right to feel confident that he will score.
Nebil Fekir, who almost joined Liverpool in the summer, could be key if Lyon are to get something from the game. The World Cup winner is capable of scoring and creating goals. Another strength is his ability to carry the ball past opponents with relative easy.
Fekir’s teammate, Memphis Depay, has recaptured his scoring form with Lyon. The Dutchman had a disappointing spell at Manchester United but has since scored 25 goals in 54 appearances. Depay is another that City will need to be wary off. He is quick, strong and skilful.
Former Celtic star striker Moussa Dembele is also capable of causing the City defenders plenty of problems. The 22-year-old started his first game for Lyon on Saturday since moving for £19.7 million on transfer deadline day in France. The striker will be eager to score and show his new fans what he can do.
Team News
City will be sweating on the fitness of star man Agüero. The Argentina striker limped off on Saturday against Fulham. It is believed that he was substituted as a precaution. With the team winning 3-0 at the time, Pep Guardiola felt no need to keep the player on and risk further damage.
Should Agüero fail to recover, Gabriel Jesus is expected to lead the line. Whoever starts is likely to have Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane either side of him. Sane took 90 seconds to score at the weekend after being given his first start of the season. Sterling also scored after missing the recent England games through injury. Kevin De Bruyne remains on the sidelines. The Belgian is expected to be out until at least mid-October.
Moussa Dembele could start up front for Lyon after making his debut at the weekend. Memphis Depay could return to the starting line-up after being a substitute in their last game. Lyon are expected to play their strongest possible team in an attempt to come away from Manchester with a positive result.
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