Manchester City vs Lyon is a Champions League quarterfinal match-up in which both sides may be feeling like this is really their year. Their results from the last round certainly speak to that. City ousted Real Madrid, the club who dominates this competition unlike any other.
Lyon knocked out Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus, meaning the rest of the tournament won’t have the individual player who is most synonymous with big time UCL performances. Of course, Paris Saint-Germain might believe that they’re the real team of destiny too, given their thrilling comeback against Atalanta last night.
In looking at what first team Pep Guardiola might select here, we went with David Silva over Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva over Riyad Mahrez. However, we wouldn’t be surprised if both of these picks go the other way, because there would be plenty of reason to go that route.
Also, although Benjamin Mendy is eligible again, we’re going to stick with Joao Cancelo. It’s going to be all out keeping Memphis Depay off the score sheet.
Manchester City vs Lyon (Champions League) Starting XI Predictions
Manchester City:
Ederson; Walker, Fernandinho, Laporte, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodrigo, D. Silva; B. Silva, Jesus, Sterling
Lyon:
Lopes; Denayer, Marcelo, Marcal; Dubois, Caqueret, Guimaraes, Aouar, Cornet; Dembele, Depay
Manchester City vs Lyon Champions League Quarterfinal FYIs
Kickoff: 8pm Saturday July 15, Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal
Team news for both sides: go to this link
Odds: (-305) Manchester City (+750) Lyon (+450) Draw
outright winner (+220) Manchester City (+3500) Lyon
Form Guide (all competitions): Manchester City WWLWWW Lyon WWLLLL
Form Guide (UCL): Manchester City WDDWWW Lyon WWLLLL
Prediction: Manchester City 2, Lyon 0
Ederson has been dominant in certain stretches this season, and overall, he had a phenomenal campaign in the league. Look for him to register a clean sheet here.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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