Man City vs Lyon Champions League Quarterfinals Odds, Picks & Betting Preview
- On Saturday, August 15th, Man City squares off against Lyon in the Champions League quarterfinals
- The game will be played at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Portugal as a single-elimination tournament match as part of UEFA’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic
- The heavy favorites in the match are Man City with moneyline odds of -410
This weekend is every soccer fan’s wildest dreams coming to fruition. A March Madness-style tournament consisting of eight teams to determine who lifts the most illustrious piece of silverware in Europe. It is four days worth of matches and the finale on Saturday is between Man City and Lyon. After defeating Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus through a series of questionable officiating decisions, Memphis Depay and his team now face another one of Europe’s best sides.
On the other hand, Man City and Pep Guardiola are chasing the trophy that has evaded them despite their domestic dominance. After a convincing two-legged win over Real Madrid, it is now time for Guardiola to prove the haters wrong and face Europe’s brightest lights on the biggest stage of them all. This is a strikingly one-sided match-up on paper, but we all know this competition has much more in store for both of these sides.
Man City vs Lyon Odds
| Teams | Spread | Moneyline | Total at FanDuel Sportsbook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man City | -2 (+210) | -410 | Over 2 ½ (-178) |
| Lyon | +2 (-110) | +1000 | Under 2 ½ (+144) |
| Draw | N/A | +500 | N/A |
Odds taken August 10
Can Gabriel Jesus Make the Difference for Man City?
Unfortunately, Man City are still without Sergio Aguero, meaning Gabriel Jesus will have to pick up his slack. With Foden playing centrally in the last match against Real Madrid, Jesus picked up in the 9 1/2 role, making runs, and opening up spaces for his teammates. Aside from Sterling, this is Guardiola’s B side attack. Nevertheless, they made Varane and Casemiro look like a couple of Sunday League stragglers last week.
They will be imperative once again against a Lyon side that really has not had the best season domestically. If Lyon are not careful, they could be caught out by Kevin de Bruyne like we saw against the Galacticos, and this once could get more than ugly.
Man City vs Lyon Champions League Statistics
| 2.5 | Goals per game | 1.38 |
| 16 | Shots per game | 13.1 |
| 58.6% | Average possession % | 49.3% |
| 89.5% | Average pass % | 81.8% |
Can Lyon’s Cinderella Run Continue?
Right now, Lyon is the belle of the ball. Knocking out Juventus, and now faced with playing Man City for a spot in the Champions League semifinals. Memphis Depay is back for his side and he is grossly underrated as a scorer. His panenka in Turin made the difference and he could do the same on Saturday against Cancelo on that left-hand side.
Memphis Depay with the panenka 🔥
(via @UCLonCBSSports)pic.twitter.com/Wb9U3S4KTm
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 7, 2020
Let’s not forget, Man City was not perfect coming into the Champions League. Surely, they have one of the best teams left in the competition on paper, but they played poorly at times coming down the stretch in the Premier League. Losses to Chelsea, Arsenal and Southampton proved they can be caught out by clubs with good attackers. Expect Dembele and Depay to be getting after it, trying to force Man City into mistakes.
Best Bet
Finally, the best bet for this match is the spread on Lyon at +2 (-110). Often times, Guardiola overcomplicates his tactics in these big matches. Man City are still unproven in Europe and despite their odds to win, it is naive to say Lyon will get thrashed here. Respect must be given when it is earned, and Lyon showed guts against Juventus. They might not win the game, but expect it to be closer than you think.
My Pick: Lyon Spread +2 (-110)
Josh Ricker is a freelance sports journalist, currently attending the University of Southern Maine (Bachelor of Science in Sports Management and Marketing). He has recently interned with the AA Portland Sea Dogs, and his work has been featured on Fansided, as well as now here on SBD.
