Manchester City on paper are far superior to Olympique Lyon. However, Lyon could make Man City stop in the Champions League if Lyon stuttered by surprise.
The Man City vs Lyon match in the Champions League quarter-final at the Jose Alvalade Stadium, Sunday (16/8), will compete for the final ticket for the semifinals.
Materially, the squad for The Citizens cannot be compared to Lyon. Moreover, Lyon appear less attractive in Ligue 1 2019/2020.
Rudi Garcia’s team was only able to finish in seventh place in the 2019/2020 Ligue 1 standings. This position made them fail to maintain their chance to compete at European level.
The situation sparked Lyon’s motivation to appear all-out for the Champions League semifinal ticket.
The enthusiasm of the Les Gones players is also one of the potential surprises that Pep Guardiola’s team should watch out for.
If Man City were not aware of the spirit of Les Gones they could have the same fate as Juventus.
Previously, Lyon were surprisingly able to get rid of the Old Lady in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Juventus’ 0-1 defeat to Lyon in the first leg was their stumbling block. Cristiano Ronaldo and his friends won 2-1 in the second leg at the Juventus Stadium.
However, they still failed to advance to the semifinals because of their aggressiveness from away goals.
The match between the two legs of Juventus vs Lyon is also an alarm for The Citizens. One thing to watch out for is the potential of Lyon in creating fast goals like in the second leg against Juventus.
At that time Juventus had trailed 0-1 from Lyon in the 12th minute through Memphis Depay’s goal from a penalty.
Juventus turned the lead to 2-1 thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo brace from the spot in the 43rd minute and an assist from Federico Bernardeschi (60). Even though they were superior, Lyon’s fast goals seemed to disturb the mentality of Maurizio Sarri’s team players so they were eliminated.
Lyon is actually not special in playing attacking games. They are also not the typical team that has to dominate possession like Man City.
However, Lyon, who used to put three center-backs at the back, often set a deadly trap for teams who are fanatical about possession.
Their quick counterattack on the wing is also very deadly. Their two wingers, Maxwel Cornet and Leo Dubois, often bothered the opponent’s defense.
Lyon has also been a scourge for The Citizens in the 2018/2019 Champions League group phase. Guardiola couldn’t beat the team in two meetings in Group F.
Les Gones were surprisingly able to beat the hosts Man City 2-1 in the first leg. Next in the second leg, Man City was only able to draw 2-2.
This quarter-final match which will take place in one leg can also add to its own burden for Man City.
The reason is, big teams could have tumbled from the semifinals in that one leg match. The proof is Atletico Madrid, they were eliminated from RB Leipzig after losing 1-2 in the Champions League quarter-final match.
Man City certainly can’t be careless and have to anticipate all kinds of potential surprises from Lyon.
