Manchester City begin their quest for Champions League glory on Wednesday when they take on Ligue 1 outfit Lyon.
Despite reaching the semi-finals in 2016, City have struggled to make a real breakthrough in the tournament and, after being knocked out by Liverpool in last season's quarter-final, the pressure is on Pep Guardiola to deliver.
In Lyon the Premier League champions come up against a team which finished third in Ligue 1 last season but failed to make an impact in Europe, crashing out of the Europa League at the last-16 stage after losing to CSKA Moscow.
While shorn of Mariano Diaz's talents this term, they did manage to hold on to Nabil Fekir and recently added Moussa Dembele to their ranks, so they will be quietly optimistic of progressing from Group F.
| Game | Manchester City vs Lyon |
| Date | Wednesday, September 19 |
| Time | 8pm BST / 3pm ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US) the game will be available to watch live on television via Galavision and it can be streamed live online using B/R Live.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Galavision / Univision Deportes | B/R Live |
The game can be watched live on television in the United Kingdom (UK) via BT Sport 3 and it can be streamed live online using the BT Sport app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport 3 | BT Sport app |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Man City squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ederson, Grimshaw, Muric |
| Defenders | Walker, Danilo, Kompany, Stones, Laporte, Mangala, Mendy, Otamendi, Humphreys |
| Midfielders | Sterling, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Delph, Sane, B. Silva, D. Silva, Fernandinho, Mahrez, Zinchenko, Foden, Diaz |
| Forwards | Aguero, Jesus, Bolton |
City will definitely be without the services of Kevin De Bruyne, who continues to recover from a knee injury, and Benjamin Mendy, who is not likely to be risked after aggravating his knee.
There is some good news, though, with the revelation that Sergio Aguero is set to be fit after overcoming an ankle problem.
Another face who won't be directly involved in operations is that of Guardiola, who is suspended.
Confirmed Man City XI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Laporte, Delph, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Silva, Bernardo, Sterling, Jesus.
| Position | Lyon squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Lopes, Racioppi, Gorgelin |
| Defenders | Yanga-Mbiwa, Rafael, Denayer, Marcelo, Dubois, Morel, Marcal, Mendy, Tete, Solet Bomawoko |
| Midfielders | Terrier, Aouar, Ferri, Diop, N'Dombole, Tousart |
| Forwards | Traore, Depay, Fekir, Gouiri, Cornet, Dembele, Pintor |
Confirmed Lyon XI: Lopes; Rafael, Marcelo, Denayer, Mendy; Cornet, Ndombele, Cheikh, Aouar; Fekir, Depay.
Betting & Match Odds
Man City are heavy favourites to win the game at 1/6 according to bet365. Lyon's chances of beating the Premier League champions in England are rated at 18/1 and a draw is available at 15/2.
Match Preview
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Man City may be without Guardiola for their Champions League opener against Lyon on Wednesday, but his stand-in Mikel Arteta insists that they will be more than ready for the visit of the French side.
"Up to now the preparation has been completely normal, the difference tomorrow is obviously there are some rules that we will respect," Arteta told reporters when asked about the impact of his boss' absence.
"I will be on the touchline and try to make the right decisions and for the rest nothing will change."
City are unbeaten in six games and come into the match brimming with confidence following an emphatic 3-0 victory over Fulham at the weekend. Lyon, on the other hand, have endured an inconsistent start to the season, winning just two of their first five Ligue 1 matches.
The game against the Premier League champions represents a difficult challenge for Bruno Genesio's side, but it is not one they are likely to back down from and, with talent such as Depay, Fekir and Bertrand Traore in their ranks, nor should they.
