Manchester City will seal their place in the last 16 of the Champions League if they avoid defeat at Lyon on Tuesday, while a victory would secure top spot in Group F with one game to spare.
Pep Guardiola, however, has been warned of the quality of the French side already, having seen his team suffer a shock 2-1 reverse to OL at the Etihad Stadium on the opening night of the competition.
Since then, Lyon have struggled to maintain that form, fighting back from 2-0 down to tie with Shakhtar Donetsk but wastefully throwing away four points as they twice conceded last-minute equalisers against Hoffenheim.
If they are to upset City again, such errors cannot be made.
| Game | Lyon vs Manchester City |
| Date | Tuesday, November 27 |
| Time | 8pm GMT / 3pm ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be streamed live online via B/R Live or Univision Deportes En Vivo.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | B/R Live / Univision Deportes En Vivo |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on BT Sport 2 and it can be streamed live online using the BT Sport app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport 2 | BT Sport app |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Lyon squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Lopes, Gorgelin |
| Defenders | Rafael, Denayer, Marcelo, Morel, Marcal, Mendy |
| Midfielders | Terrier, Aouar, Diop, N'Dombole, Tousart |
| Forwards | Traore, Depay, Fekir, Cornet, Dembele |
Nabil Fekir went off citing adductor problems at the weekend, but the France international playmaker is set to start this match .
Right-back Leo Dubois and long-term absentee Amine Gouiri continue to miss out.
Lyon starting XI: Lopes; Denayer, Marcelo, Marcal; Rafael, Ndombele, Fekir, Aouar, Mendy; Depay, Cornet
| Position | Man City squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ederson, Grimshaw, Muric |
| Defenders | Walker, Danilo, Kompany, Stones, Laporte, Mendy, Otamendi |
| Midfielders | Sterling, Delph, Sane, D. Silva, Fernandinho, Zinchenko, Foden, Diaz |
| Forwards | Aguero |
Manchester City’s headline absentee continues to be Kevin De Bruyne, while they are also without Ilkay Gundogan at the heart of their midfield.
Gabriel Jesus has not travelled with the squad due to a minor concern, while ex-Monaco pair Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy are not available to face familiar foes.
Claudio Bravo is also sidelined.
While Phil Foden was tipped to start the match, he begins on the bench, with Riyad Mahrez handed a place in the XI.
Man City starting XI: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Laporte, Zinchenko; Fernandinho, D.Silva, Mahrez; Aguero, Sterling, Sane
Betting & Match Odds
Lyon are priced at 13/2 to repeat their Etihad Stadium heroics and pick up the win at bet365 . Manchester City are favourites, available at 2/5, while the draw is 9/2.
Match Preview
Gettyimages
For all the Manchester City have achieved in the Premier League over the last year, winning the title by a record margin in the 2017-18 season with an unprecedented number of points, Pep Guardiola knows that the yardstick he will be judged against lies in Europe.
City have spent lavishly with the aim of winning the Champions League title and the Catalan knows that if he fails to secure it, his reign at the Etihad Stadium will be judged a flop.
“For the people who don’t love us too much, who use money as an argument, then we have failed if we don’t win the Champions League,” he said.
“For the other people, especially our fans, the people who say: ‘OK, we enjoy watching our games, we are happy with what the guys are doing,’ I am pretty sure they don’t have regrets about what these guys are doing for the last 12, 14, 15 months every three days.”
While City are undefeated domestically this season, they have slipped previously against Lyon, and Guardiola has acknowledged the quality of the opponents they will face on Tuesday in the Rhone Valley.
“They were better than us,” he said thinking back to the 2-1 loss in September. “If you make one or two mistakes you can be out. This competition is so dangerous. We have not qualified and in this competition, it’s not done until it’s done.
“The first thing is to qualify and then to finish first in the group and we travel here to do that. You lose the first game at home and the group stage becomes so tough. We did our job winning the next three.”
Lyon’s season, meanwhile, has been marred by inconsistency, which has seen them struggle to second in Ligue 1 and throw away countless opportunities in what has developed into an incredibly open group.
“City are better than us, but we’ve already shown we can post them problems,” head coach Bruno Genesio said . “We need to be at 120% all over the field and be efficient. We have to believe and play to our strengths.
“If my team is focused like in the first match, with the support of the fans we can do it again, but City are one of the best teams in Europe and favourites to win the final.”
If the good Lyon show up, as they did in their previous encounter, they are capable of troubling their guests, but there is no room for error as they seek the win that would secure their spot in the knockout phase.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
