Lyon v Man City Betting Tips: Can Citizens strike early in France?

Preview and odds for CL clash

Manchester City will cement their place at the top of Group F with victory away at Lyon in the Champions League this evening.

The Citizens have won three on the bounce in Europe since suffering a shock opening day defeat to the Ligue 1 side in September. Can they extend that to four and book their CL knockout stage place?

You can find out live on BT Sport 3 from 8pm tonight. And we’re here to steer you in the right direction with our preview and tips.

Head-to-Head

Maxwel Cornet and Nabil Fekir did the damage before half-time at the Etihad Stadium last month. The pair netted in a 17-minute spell as Lyon triumphed 2-1 in the first ever meeting between the two sides.

Their second fixture doubles up as City’s third on French soil. They lost 3-1 against Monaco on their last trip across the Channel, and drew 2-2 with Paris Saint-Germain the time before that.

Likely XIs

Injuries to the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne and Benjamin Mendy restrict Pep Guardiola’s ability to make changes. However, Fabian Delph and Oleksandar Zinchenko are both pushing for starts. Meanwhile, Riyad Mahrez could replace Leroy Sane on the left side of the front three. John Stones may also return for Nicolas Otamendi.

For the hosts, Memphis Depay is expected to lead the line in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Fekir caused plenty of nuisance in the last match between the clubs and will start central to Houssem Aouar and Bertrand Traore.

Key Battles

City weren’t quite at the races at the Etihad in September. Since then, Guardiola’s men have won 12 of their 13 matches, scoring 42 goals in the process. The attacking trio of Aguero, Mahrez and Sterling will look to get on the front foot early on with the help of David Silva in midfield.