Barcelona will want to put their unconvincing recent form behind them when they travel to face Lyon in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash at Parc OL.
The Catalans successfully negotiated Group B without suffering a single defeat in six games, running out winners with some to spare over Tottenham, Inter and PSV.
Lyon, meanwhile, also came through the pool stages unscathed, but they drew five of their six games. As a warning to Barca, though, their single victory came away to Manchester City.
| Game | Lyon vs Barcelona |
| Date | Tuesday, February 19 |
| Time | 8:00pm GMT / 3:00pm ET |
| Stream (US only) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Univision Deportes / UniMas | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be broadcast on BT Sport 3 and can be streamed via BT Sport Live.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport 3 | BT Sport Live |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Lyon squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Lopes, Gorgelin |
| Defenders | Dubois, Tete, Rafael, Denayer, Marcelo, Solet, Marcal, Mendy |
| Midfielders | Ndombele, Aouar, Tousart, Diop |
| Forwards | Traore, Depay, Cornet, Dembele, Terrier |
Lyon starting XI: Lopes, Dubois, Marcelo, Denayer, Mendy, N'Dombélé, Aouar, Traore, Depay, Terrier, M.Dembele.
| Position | Barcelona squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ter Stegen, Pena, Ezkieta |
| Defenders | Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Murillo, Sergi Roberto, Wague, Umtiti, Jordi Alba |
| Midfielders | Rakitic, Busquets, Vidal, Boateng, Alena |
| Forwards | Messi, Suarez, Coutinho, Malcom, Dembele |
Barcelona starting XI: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Jordi Alba; Sergi Roberto, Busquets, Rakitic; Messi, Suarez, Dembele.
Betting & Match Odds
Barcelona are priced as 8/11 favourites to win this match, according to Bet365 . Lyon are 15/4 outsiders, while a draw can be backed at 16/5.
Match Preview
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Barcelona are a team with a point to prove. Having been incredibly eliminated at the quarter-final stage last season by Roma, a tie in which they held a 4-1 advantage after the first leg, they were forced to watch on as rivals Real Madrid lifted the Champions League crown for a third successive season.
Barca may be the team to beat in Spain, but their European record in recent years pales into comparison of their Clasico foes and is a balance they wish to redress.
“The lesson from Rome is that you should not let your guard down,” head coach Ernesto Valverde explained in his pre-match press conference .
“When we played Roma everyone said they were a weak opponent, which did not help us.
“We are eager to play because we've been waiting for the game for a while, and we're under pressure because we know the enthusiasm of our fans.”
The Catalans are also under pressure because of their mediocre recent performances. After three successive draws they picked up a victory over Valladolid on Saturday, though it took a Lionel Messi penalty to see off opponents they were expected to breeze by .
Nevertheless, this serves as another warning ahead of a tie against tricky opponents in the form of Lyon.
The French side will look back regretfully at a group stage in which they remained undefeated, though during which a flurry of late concessions prevented them from maximising their talents and topping the group ahead of the likes of Manchester City, Hoffenheim and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Barca are opponents with greater European pedigree than anyone they have faced this season and winger Maxwel Cornet says there is only one way to hope to stop the Primera Division side .
“Block Messi!” he told Goal when asked how Lyon can win. “I laugh about it but it's what we will have to do.
“It will take a lot of defensive work at first, be all the time concentrated and take the few chances we could have going forward.
“We know that in this kind of match that you cannot waste chances, so it will be up to us to be effective in front of their goal.”
Lyon’s recent home victory over Paris Saint-Germain should fuel their confidence of an upset victory, but Bruno Genesio’s men will have to be at their absolute best if they are to take an advantage to Spain for the return leg.
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