Lyon vs Barcelona Preview: How to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
Barcelona will travel to the Groupama Stadium to face Lyon on Tuesday in the first leg of the Champions League last 16, with the La Liga giants looking to extend their unbeaten run in the competition this season.
Barcelona topped their group after victories against Tottenham Hotspur, Inter and PSV Eindhoven, and they will be targeting a similar result as they try to bring an end to Real Madrid's three-year domination of Europe's biggest tournament.
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However, they will come up against a Lyon side who took four points from a possible six against Manchester City in their group, and the Ligue 1 side will certainly not be prepared to roll over for their opponents.
Here's 90min's preview of Tuesday's mouthwatering clash.
How to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Tuesday 19 February |
What Time Is Kick Off? | 20:00 (BST) |
Where Is it Played? | Groupama Stadium |
TV Channel/Live Stream? | BT Sport 3 |
Referee? | Cüneyt Çakır |
Team News
For Lyon, Amine Gouiri and Jeremy Morel remain unavailable, as does former Manchester United right-back Rafael. The Brazilian is nearing a return from a thigh injury and featured for the reserve side on Saturday, although he did manage to get himself sent off.
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As for Barcelona, they will be hoping to welcome back French centre-back Samuel Umtiti from his knee injury. The former Lyon man was pushing for a return in Saturday's 1-0 win over Real Valladolid, but was ultimately left out. Rafinha, Jasper Cillessen and Arthur will also miss out through injury.
Predicted Lineups
Lyon | Lopes; Dubois, Marcelo, Denayer, Mendy; Aouar, Ndombele, Troare, Fekir, Depay; Dembele. |
Barcelona | Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Busquets, Rakitic, Vidal; Messi, Coutinho, Suarez. |
Head to Head Record
The two sides have met six times in the past, but their most recent meeting came at this stage of the Champions League in 2009. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, Barcelona stormed to a 5-2 victory at the Camp Nou thanks to goals from the likes of Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi.
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They also faced off in the group stages in 2007, and it was Barcelona who again got the upper hand, earning a 3-0 victory which was followed by a 2-2 draw in Lyon. The La Liga giants have failed to win in their last two away matches with Lyon, which will likely give the home side confidence, even if the two teams haven't met in ten years.
Recent Form
2019 has seen some incredibly varied form from Lyon. They recently managed a five-game winning streak which included handing Paris Saint-Germain their first loss of the domestic season, only to follow that result up with a shock 1-0 defeat to OGC Nice. However, Lyon managed to get back on track with a victory over EA Guingamp on Friday.
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The visitors have also endured a challenging run of form in recent weeks. Barcelona laboured to two consecutive draws against Valencia and Athletic Bilbao in the league, but earned a win over Real Valladolid to give them some momentum heading into Tuesday's fixture.
Here's how each team has performed in their last five fixtures:
Lyon | Barcelona |
Lyon 2-1 EA Guingamp (15/2) | Barcelona 1-0 Real Valladolid (16/2) |
OGC Nice 1-0 Lyon (10/2) | Athletic Bilbao 0-0 Barcelona (10/2) |
EA Guingamp 1-2 Lyon (7/2) | Barcelona 1-1 Real Madrid (6/2) |
Lyon 2-1 Paris Saint-Germain (3/2) | Barcelona 2-2 Valencia (2/2) |
SC Amiens 0-1 Lyon (27/1) | Girona 0-2 Barcelona (27/1) |
Prediction
As is the case with most of their fixtures, Barcelona come into this one as the favourites to advance. At their free-flowing best, they have enough to overcome any side on the planet.
However, with three draws in their last four games, they clearly have not been on top form. Lyon have the potential to cause them real problems, and victories over both PSG and City this season prove that they have more than enough in their locker to get the job done.
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The two teams can both play some of Europe's best football, and Tuesday's meeting certainly has the potential to be a thrilling affair. However, with Messi and Luis Suarez leading the line, Barcelona should earn themselves a crucial advantage in the tie.
Prediction: Lyon 1-2 Barcelona
