Lyon vs Dijon

Lyon vs Dijon predictions

Lyon will commence their Ligue 1 season on Friday night against Dijon (20:00 kick-off), just over a week since they were eliminated from the Champions League semi-finals at the hands of eventual winners Bayern Munich. 

Rudi Garcia’s men put up a valiant fight in the continent’s flagship tournament earlier this month, knocking out Juventus and Manchester City en route to their semi-final showdown against Bayern, but they will be desperate to improve upon their seventh-placed finish in Ligue 1 last term.

The Kids will not be competing in Europe this campaign following a disappointing domestic campaign in 2019/20, in which the French top-flight ended prematurely. As a result they can focus solely on domestic affairs this time round and potentially causing an upset in the upper slopes against reigning French champions PSG.

The Ligue 1 season got underway at the weekend, and Dijon kicked things off with a tame 1-0 reversal against Angers, so manager Stephane Jobard will be eager to bounce back at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, though he faces a very tough task against an in-form Lyon.

Lyon & Dijon‘s previous line-ups:

  • Lyon (vs Bayern Munich): Lopes; Denayer, Marcelo, Marcal; Dubois, Caqueret, Guimaraes, Aouar, Cornet; Ekambi, Depay.
  • Dijon (vs Angers): Gomis; Ngouyamsa, Manga, Lautoa, Ngonda; Marie, Diop, Ndong; Dina-Ebimbe, Chouiar, Scheidler.

Despite just recently playing Bayern in the Champions League semi-final, Garcia is likely to name an unchanged XI, bar one or two tweaks. Lyon’s poor domestic finish to 2019/20 will give the Kids an added incentive to redeem themselves this time round and that could start with a convincing performance against Dijon on home turf.

Players to watch:

  • Lyon: Part of the reason for Lyon’s disastrous domestic season last time out was twofold. First, Sylvinho oversaw a shocking start to the campaign, which included seven successive winless games and culminated in his sacking. The second was an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained by club captain Memphis Depay in mid-December. The Dutchman had scored nine goals in 13 Ligue 1 games prior to his injury, and Lyon won just four games in the subsequent nine without their skipper. Having finished just a point outside the top six, there is little doubt Depay’s involvement would have got them over the line. Either way, he is now back, fit and firing on all cylinders and will be determined to make up for lost time.
  • Dijon: The Owls have their work cut out for them when they face an attack as threatening and lethal as Lyon’s, as Man City and Juventus will attest to. The attacking duo of Depay and Karl Toko Ekambi, flanked by the speed and precision of Maxwel Cornet, means Dijon could be in for a tough night of football, which is why the club’s more experienced heads need to stand up and take control. In 32-year-old Bruno Ecuele Manga, Dijon have a centre-back with vast experience and someone who, having plied his trade for Cardiff City in the Premier League, has tussled with the likes of Sergio Aguero and Gabonese teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — he knows what it takes to face the big boys and that will be key on Friday night.

Scoreline prediction: Lyon 3-1 Dijon

Wolfsburg vs Lyon

Wolfsburg vs Lyon predictions

Lyon will be looking to win the Women’s Champions League for the fifth year in a row when they face old rivals Wolfsburg in the final on Sunday at 7pm.

The two sides are regarded as arguably the top women’s teams in Europe, often going up against each other for the Champions League. In fact, Sunday’s meeting with be the fourth Champions League final between Wolfsburg and Lyon, with the former winning the first before losing the last two. Lyon have also knocked Wolfsburg out of the Champions League at some stage in the past four seasons.

Beating local rivals PSG in the semi-final thanks to Wendie Renard’s goal, Lyon are also in their ninth final in 11 years, winning six of those – all of which are competition records. But Lyon haven’t been perfect and have shown signs of weaknesses that Wolfsburg will look to exploit. The German side are in their fifth final thanks to a 1-0 win over Barcelona but rode their luck at times thanks to poor finishing from their opponents.

But that shouldn’t take away from what will no doubt be another good clash between the two sides. Lyon are unbeaten in competitive football since May 2018 while Wolfsburg have not lost in 40 games (when Lyon beat them). Whose record is going to tumble this weekend?

Wolfsburg & Lyon’s previous line-ups:

  • Wolfsburg (vs Barcelona): Abt; Doorsoun-Khajeh, Hendrich, Janssen, Wedemeyer; Huth, Engen, Popp, Rolfö; Harder, Pajor.
  • Lyon (vs PSG): Bouhaddi; Bronze, Buchanan, Renard, Karchaoui; Gunnarsdottir, Kumagai; Cascarino, Marozsán, Majri; Parris*.

Wolfsburg have no injury concerns or suspensions and go into Sunday’s game at full strength. Lyon, meanwhile, will be without Nikita Parris after she was sent off in the win over PSG. Amandine Henry is a doubt for Lyon after picking up an injury in the quarter-final win over Bayern, while Griedge Mbock Bathy, Jessica Silva and Ada Hegerberg remain out.

Players to watch:

Wolfsburg: The Germans have a lot of stars in their side that rightly receive praise, but one very important player that appears to go under the radar is Ingrid Engen. The Norwegian midfielder joined Wolfsburg from December 2018 but only really became part of the team for the 2019/20 season, after an impressive World Cup campaign. Still just 22, Engen plays with the air of someone much older and more experienced, but that’s what makes her so vital to Wolfsburg’s side.

Sitting at the heart of the Wolfsburg midfield, Engen helps her side at both ends of the pitch, with a calmness in front of the defence – sometimes dropping in line with her centre-backs to receive the ball and move it forward. But she is just as dangerous in attack, as shown in the 9-1 quarter-final win over Glasgow City, when Engen scored two goals. The first was a well-taken header from a corner, having been unmarked, but the second came with a lovely late run into the box to get onto the end of a cross, running in front of the stationary defender. Engen won’t be solely relied on for her goals against Lyon, but her performance will be key to how Wolfsburg do.

Lyon: With Nikita Parris suspended, Ada Hegerberg injured and Eugenie Le Sommer not fully fit, English forward Jodie Taylor could be given the responsibilities of leading the line for Lyon. The 34-year-old joined Lyon from OL Reign – their United States sister club – in the summer, having participated in the NWSL Challenge Cup, replacing the regular season.

One a deal until the end of the year, Taylor has already tasted glory with Lyon, coming on as a late substitute in the French Cup final win, though she did not take a penalty in the shootout. Taylor is yet to get on the scoresheet for Lyon having only played a handful of minutes, but the veteran striker gets goals wherever she goes, and an extended period of time on the pitch could see Taylor fire the French side to another Champions League victory.

Scoreline prediction: Wolfsburg 2-1 Lyon

Arsenal v Liverpool

Arsenal vs Liverpool predictions

Arsenal and Liverpool are set to square off in the official curtain-raiser for the 2020/21 season on Saturday afternoon at 4.30pm.

It’s the first chance for either club, who are both determined for more success in this forthcoming season, to claim silverware.

The Reds enter on the back of completing one of the most dominant Premier League seasons to date and must start off as favourites, but given when this game is being played, there’s a possibility manager Jurgen Klopp won’t quite have his squad fine-tuned.

An evenly contested match would obviously play into the Gunners’ hands. They are still growing under Mikel Arteta and harbour strong ambitions of restoring former glories as well as establishing the north Londoners as Champions League mainstays once again.

Another fascinating tidbit is both are level on 15 wins apiece with only Manchester United (21) claiming more FA Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) triumphs.

Arsenal & Liverpool’s previous line-ups:

  • Arsenal (vs Chelsea): Martínez; Holding, Luiz, Tierney; Bellerín*, Xhaka, Ceballos*, Maitland-Niles; Pépé, Lacazette, Aubameyang.
  • Liverpool (vs Newcastle United): Alisson; Williams, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Milner, Keïta; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Origi, Minamino.

Arteta heads into Saturday’s game at Wembley missing up to six players through injury. Among the absentees are Shkodran Mustafi and Gabriel Martinelli, with Hector Bellerín a doubt for the FA Cup winners. Dani Ceballos, who started in that final win against Chelsea, is now back at parent club Real Madrid with his future in doubt.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are without skipper Jordan Henderson and Joel Matip.

Players to watch:

  • Arsenal: A new season presents fresh opportunities and for the Gunners, under Arteta, it’s a chance to build on their progress following his appointment midway through the last campaign. After starting on the back foot, Arsenal finished 2019/20 strong and nothing illustrated that more than winning the FA Cup, but victories over Manchester City and this weekend’s opponents Liverpool across three days also made folks sit up and take notice. In that 2-1 win over the newly-crowned Premier League champions, Alexandre Lacazette proved his worth, scoring and creating the other goal. He’s been slightly in the shadow of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has become Mr. Wembley for Arsenal, having bagged four goals in his last two appearances at the home of English football. Aubameyang, though, has yet to score past Liverpool — since moving to north London — who are, of course, managed by his former Borussia Dortmund boss.
  • Liverpool: For the first time since 1990, we have a Community Shield game with Liverpool being represented as English champions. Back then, Kenny Dalglish’s men shared the prize with eternal foes Manchester United after the game ended in a 1-1 draw, that option no longer exists and Klopp has the chance of winning his fifth piece of silverware as the Reds manager, alongside Champions League, Premier League, Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup titles. Understandably, this game isn’t the highest priority, that would be successfully defending their Premier League crown. So, we could see a starting line-up consisting of a blend of big names and promising talents. Someone determined to feature — given his competitive nature — is Mohamed Salah, who enjoys playing against their London-based rivals. Across his six previous meetings against Arsenal in a Liverpool jersey, he’s managed to score in all but two games, registering five goals and creating a further two, this included a brace last August.

Scoreline prediction: Arsenal 1-2 Liverpool

Celtic vs Ferencvaros predictions

Celtic vs Ferencvaros predictions

Celtic will continue their quest to reach the Champions League group stages when they play host to Hungarian champions Ferencvaros at Parkhead on Wednesday night (7:45pm kick-off). 

The Bhoys have already blitzed past Icelandic outfit KR Reykjavik 6-0 in the first qualifying round, but face a much more potent threat in the form of Ferencvaros. Their defeat to Romanian club Cluj in the qualifying phase last year should act as a cautionary tale when facing Eastern European opposition.

The Green Eagles clinched their 31st Hungarian title last season and have previous in continental football, having defeated Juventus in the 1965 Fairs Cup and reached the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup final in 1975, but they haven’t competed in the Champions League group stages since the 1995/96 campaign.

Managed by former Tottenham and West Ham striker Serhiy Rebrov, Ferencvaros have already knocked out Djurgardens IF of Sweden but travel to Glasgow knowing they are in for a much tougher test. The question is: who will come out on top at Celtic Park?

Celtic & Ferencvaros’s previous UCL line-ups:

  • Celtic (vs KR Reykjavik): Barkas; Elhamed, Jullien, Bitton, Taylor; Brown, McGregor, Forrest, Christie, Elyounoussi; Edouard.
  • Ferencvaros (vs Djurgardens IF): Dibusz; Botka, Kovacevic, Blazic, Civic; Kharatin, Somalia, Isael; Nguen, Uzuni, Boli.

Summer signing Albian Ajeti made his debut in the previous qualifier against Reykjavik and scored his first Celtic goal at the weekend against Dundee United, so he could be rewarded with a start on Wednesday, either in front of star striker Odsonne Edouard, or alongside him.

Ferencvaros have their own threats, and one who could cause the Celtic midfield a few problems is Rio de Janeiro native Somalia, who returned to Budapest this summer after a spells away with Toulouse and in the Middle East. Without the rousing Celtic atmosphere, the Brazilian believes the hosts aren’t the favourites entering this contest.

“Celtic has a lot of history and tradition as a club but they are not favourites for this match,” he declared. “Without fans it makes our chances level. We have a 50 per cent qualifying chance.”

Players to watch:

  • Celtic: Mohamed Elyounoussi helped himself to a brace in the thrashing of KR Reykjavik in the last round, netting the first and last goals against the Icelandic outfit. The Norway international has the ability to make the difference for Neil Lennon’s side and – with his confidence high – may well find himself on the scoresheet in midweek again.
  • Ferencvaros: Signed from Norwegian club Stabaek in 2018, Franck Boli poses a menacing threat for the Hungarian club, meaning Celtic’s defence will need to remain sturdy and alert when he takes to the field. The Ivorian was the Eliteserien (Norwegian first division) top scorer in 2018 and provided an assist in the previous round against Djurgardens IF, so the Bhoys can expect a tough night of football when the Hungarian titans roll in.

Scoreline prediction: Celtic 2-1 Ferencvaros

Lyon vs Dijon predictions

Lyon vs Dijon predictions

Lyon will commence their Ligue 1 season on Friday night against Dijon (20:00 kick-off), just over a week since they were eliminated from the Champions League semi-finals at the hands of eventual winners Bayern Munich. 

Rudi Garcia’s men put up a valiant fight in the continent’s flagship tournament earlier this month, knocking out Juventus and Manchester City en route to their semi-final showdown against Bayern, but they will be desperate to improve upon their seventh-placed finish in Ligue 1 last term.

The Kids will not be competing in Europe this campaign following a disappointing domestic campaign in 2019/20, in which the French top-flight ended prematurely. As a result they can focus solely on domestic affairs this time round and potentially causing an upset in the upper slopes against reigning French champions PSG.

The Ligue 1 season got underway at the weekend, and Dijon kicked things off with a tame 1-0 reversal against Angers, so manager Stephane Jobard will be eager to bounce back at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, though he faces a very tough task against an in-form Lyon.

Lyon & Dijon‘s previous line-ups:

  • Lyon (vs Bayern Munich): Lopes; Denayer, Marcelo, Marcal; Dubois, Caqueret, Guimaraes, Aouar, Cornet; Ekambi, Depay.
  • Dijon (vs Angers): Gomis; Ngouyamsa, Manga, Lautoa, Ngonda; Marie, Diop, Ndong; Dina-Ebimbe, Chouiar, Scheidler.

Despite just recently playing Bayern in the Champions League semi-final, Garcia is likely to name an unchanged XI, bar one or two tweaks. Lyon’s poor domestic finish to 2019/20 will give the Kids an added incentive to redeem themselves this time round and that could start with a convincing performance against Dijon on home turf.

Players to watch:

  • Lyon: Part of the reason for Lyon’s disastrous domestic season last time out was twofold. First, Sylvinho oversaw a shocking start to the campaign, which included seven successive winless games and culminated in his sacking. The second was an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained by club captain Memphis Depay in mid-December. The Dutchman had scored nine goals in 13 Ligue 1 games prior to his injury, and Lyon won just four games in the subsequent nine without their skipper. Having finished just a point outside the top six, there is little doubt Depay’s involvement would have got them over the line. Either way, he is now back, fit and firing on all cylinders and will be determined to make up for lost time.
  • Dijon: The Owls have their work cut out for them when they face an attack as threatening and lethal as Lyon’s, as Man City and Juventus will attest to. The attacking duo of Depay and Karl Toko Ekambi, flanked by the speed and precision of Maxwel Cornet, means Dijon could be in for a tough night of football, which is why the club’s more experienced heads need to stand up and take control. In 32-year-old Bruno Ecuele Manga, Dijon have a centre-back with vast experience and someone who, having plied his trade for Cardiff City in the Premier League, has tussled with the likes of Sergio Aguero and Gabonese teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — he knows what it takes to face the big boys and that will be key on Friday night.

Scoreline prediction: Lyon 3-1 Dijon

Inter Milan vs Sevilla

Inter Milan vs Sevilla prediction

The stage is set in Cologne for the 2019/20 Europa League final between Sevilla and Inter Milan on Friday night (20:00 kick-off).

Sevilla are the record title holders of this competition and will look to extend their trophy cabinet to six when they take to the turf later this week.

Under former Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui they have defeated Premier League opposition in Wolves and Man Utd to reach the showpiece and will be confident of knocking out another of the continent’s perennial powerhouses.

This will be the first-ever meeting in Europe between these two sides and it offers a tantalising prospect between two giants of the game. Inter Milan are unbeaten in the Europa League this term, having dropped out of the Champions League, while Sevilla have never lost a tie in Europe that’s been played out over a single leg.

Antonio Conte is a serial winner and won this competition — then known as the UEFA Cup — during his playing days for Juventus, so he will know what it takes to get the job done and secure continental silverware for the Nerazzurri. But, Sevilla will not go down without a fight.

Sevilla & Inter Milan’s previous line-ups:

  • Sevilla (vs Man Utd): Bono; Navas, Kounde, Carlos, Reguilon; Fernando, Jordan, Banega; Suso, Ocampos, En-Nesyri
  • Inter Milan (vs Shakhtar Donetsk): Handanovic; Godin, De Vrij, Bastoni; D’Ambrosio, Barella, Brozovic, Gagliardini, Young; Lukaku, Martinez.

Both managers are likely to name unchanged XIs from their semi-final victories, with Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez set to continue their blossoming partnership up-top for Inter Milan, but they face one of Europe’s most in-form and formidable defences in Sevilla.

Jesus Naves and Sergio Reguilon have proven a revelation as full-back options this term, while the centre-back acquaintanceship of Jules Kounde and Diego Carlos will not part quite so openly as Inter found against Shakhtar in their 5-0 drubbing last time out.   

Players to watch: 

Sevilla: This game is set to be the final in a Sevilla jersey for midfielder Ever Banega who agreed to end his second spell at Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán earlier this year. The 32-year-old Argentine will soon relocate to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Shabab, before that a chance to win a third Europa League title at the expense of former side Inter Milan, and the ex-Nerazzurri man has been in good form of late having assisted in their wins over AS Roma and Wolves.

Inter Milan: “It’s been a while since I’ve played like this, [those] goals are very important to me, we are preparing for big things,” was the verdict of Lautaro Martinez after Inter breezed into this season’s Europa League final. And he wasn’t kidding. Martinez, who has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, grabbed a brace and created another in their 5-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk, both efforts were his first in the competition since the round of 32.

Scoreline prediction: Sevilla 1-2 Inter Milan

Europa League 2019/20 recent form:

  • Sevilla: WWWDD
  • Inter Milan: WWWWW

RB Leipzig vs PSG

RB Leipzig v PSG: predictions

RB Leipzig and Paris Saint-Germain go head-to-head for a place in the Champions League final on Tuesday at 8:00 PM.

RB Leipzig v PSG build-up, pre-match team news and previous lineups:

Both sides are aiming to reach the final for the first time in their history in and if Leipzig were to do so, they would become the seventh German side ever to appear in the showpiece, a number bettered only by English teams. A win for PSG would see them become the first French side to reach the final since Monaco in 2003/04.

To get this far, Leipzig have taken down more established heavyweights, such as Benfica in the groups as well as Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid in the knockout rounds. The latter were defeated without the help of striker Timo Werner, who has completed a summer move to Chelsea.

PSG, meanwhile, cruised through a group containing Real Madrid, Galatasaray and Club Brugge, while the French champions saw off stern tests from Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta (thanks, Eric Choupo-Moting) in the knockouts to compete in their first Champions League semi-final since 1994/95.

  • RB Leipzig (vs Atletico Madrid): Gulacsi; Klostermann, Upamecano, Halstenberg, Tasende; Laimer, Kampl; Sabitzer, Olmo, Nkunku; Poulsen.
  • PSG (vs their Atalanta): Navas*; Kehrer, Silva, Kimpembe, Bernat; Herrera, Marquinhos, Gueye; Neymar, Icardi, Sarabia.

Summer signings Hwang Hee-chan and Benjamin Henrichs are both ineligible for this season’s Champions League while centre-back Ibrahima Konate is recovering from hip surgery.

Kylian Mbappe managed 30 minutes against Atalanta and should return to Thomas Tuchel’s starting XI for what is arguably PSG’s biggest-ever match. Layin Kurzawa will likely miss out once again while influential midfielder Maro Verratti is struggling with a calf problem.

Keylar Navas was withdrawn during the second half against Atalanta due to a hamstring injury, so Sergio Rico is likely to deputies between the sticks once again. Angel Di Maria is back from suspension.

Players to watch:

RB Leipzig: Werner may have departed but that doesn’t leave Julian Nagelsmann without attacking talent. Chief among the German’s options is versatile midfielder Marcel Sabitzer. Able to operate in the middle of the pitch or on the flanks, the Austria international possesses wonderful delivery with the ball at his feet and an almost unmatched work ethic without the ball. Sabitzer has been directly involved in six goals in his last six Champions Leagues (scoring four and assisting two) including setting up Dani Olmo’s opener against Atletico Madrid last time out. PSG will allow him space at their own peril. 

PSG: Although he only managed 30 minutes against Atalanta, you can be sure Kylian Mbappe will be firmly in Tuchel’s plans for this one. The France international has been directly involved in 10 goals in just eight Champions League appearances in 2019/20 (5 goals, 5 assists), averaging a goal or assist every 48 minutes. PSG themselves have netted at least once in their last 33 Champions League matches, just one behind the record, Real Madrid between 2011-2014. And this is in no small part thanks to the unique understanding between Mbappe and Neymar.

Scoreline prediction: RB Leipzig 1-3 PSG

Champions League 2019/20 recent form:

  • RB Leipzig: DDWWW
  • PSG: DWLWW

Lyon vs Bayern Munich

Lyon vs Bayern Munich

Lyon will look to pull off a third consecutive giantkilling when they take on Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday night (20:00 kick-off).

The French side have already claimed the scalps of both Juventus and Manchester City, with Rudi Garcia’s men outfoxing the Old Lady over two legs in the last-16 and netting two late goals against the Citizens in a 3-1 win to book their place in the penultimate round.

The Kids will be relishing the chance to butt heads with another European powerhouse in Bayern Munich, but after the Bavarians pulled off a resounding 8-2 win over Barcelona in the previous round, this will undoubtedly be their toughest challenge yet.

Under Hansi Flick, Bayern look unstoppable at the minute and he will be hoping to exorcise the ghosts of past Champions League semi-finals for the German club, with Bayern failing to progress in their last four appearances at this stage of the competition.

The other semi-final between PSG and RB Leipzig will be played out the night before on Tuesday, so both these sides will know who awaits them in the showpiece event later this month. But who will get there? In this season’s Champions League, it is anyone’s guess….

Lyon & Bayern Munich’s previous line-ups:

  • Lyon (vs Man City): Lopes; Denayer, Mercelo, Marcal; Dubois, Caqueret, Guimaraes, Aouar, Cornet; Ekambi, Depay.
  • Bayern Munich (vs Barcelona): Neuer; Kimmich, Boateng, Alaba, Davies; Thiago, Goretzka, Muller, Gnabry, Perisic; Lewandowski.

Both these sides have thus far made their way through this intense mini-tournament relatively unscathed. Lyon have a full-strength squad to choose from, while Benjamin Pavard remains the only notable absentee for Bayern, setting the stage for an epic clash of heavyweights.

Players to watch:

  • Lyon: With Bayern Munich entering this contest off the back of an historic bombardment against Barca, Lyon will naturally have to keep things tight at the back and be wary of the threat their attacking opposition poses. But, they will also have to assert some authority in the middle of the park to break forward when they get the chance, and to ease the pressure on their backline. That task largely fell to Houssem Aouar against City, who worked tirelessly to procure the ball and keep things ticking over for the French club. His performance even led to eulogies from Kevin De Bruyne, who told RMC: “I don’t watch a lot of French football. But if I had to pick it one name, for me it would be Houssem Aouar. Today, he played a good game.” Garcia and Lyon fans will be hoping their academy jewel can produce similar heroics when he goes toe-to-toe with the likes of Leon Goretzka and Thiago.  
  • Bayern Munich: Players to watch? Take your pick from this sensational Bayern Munich squad. They have treated games against Spurs, Chelsea and Barcelona this season as playground duels, secondary school versus primary school. Robert Lewandowski has taken the No. 9 role to another level, Serge Gnabry has dispelled apprehensions about the departure of ‘Robbery’ and Thomas Muller has rediscovered his form of old. But, the standout man against Barca was arguably Alphonso Davies, the Canadian wing-back who made mincemeat of Nelson Semedo and provided Bayern with enough zest and flair on the flank to play out another 90-minute match. Lyon will look to keep things tight, and counter with waves of quick-thinking devastation, but in Davies, Flick has a player who can surge forward and track back without seeming to tire, offering excellent skill and technique in both thirds of the pitch.

Scoreline prediction: Lyon 0-2 Bayern Munich

Champions League 2019/20 recent form:

  • Lyon: WLWDLW
  • Bayern Munich: WWWWW

Bayern Munich vs Barcelona

Five things we think will happen in Bayern Munich vs Barcelona

Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona is undoubtedly the blockbuster tie of the Champions League quarter-finals.

The two five-times winners are the only former European champions left in the competition and will go head-to-head under the Friday night lights. The match will showcase two genuine European heavyweights, including the best player in the world and the best striker in the world, and should be an enthralling contest. We’ve predicted five things we think will happen in Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich.

1. The midfield battle will be a treat

You don’t see too many fantastic midfield battles these days. As pressing and counter-pressing has become more of a thing, it’s hard for great midfields to come together and dominate games. Bayern Munich are an exception, as their dominance over the Bundesliga allows their incredible players to shine. Playmakers like Thiago Alcantara and Leon Goretzka dominate in all areas of the game.

Meanwhile Barcelona were the vanguard for great midfields, and although those standards are slipping Sergio Busquets is still a peerless force in the middle of the pitch (even if he needs more rest than he used to) and Frenkie de Jong is a blue chip, A-1, S-tier footballing prodigy. Obviously the third spot in Barcelona’s midfield could be equally fantastic, but even if they opt for Arturo Vidal over Riqui Puig there is still intense quality that comes with the Chilean and the narrative of him taking on his old side could be interesting.

Whichever way you slice it, this will be a midfield battle to savour. A fully rested Busquets going up against his old team-mate Thiago, who is coming off an all-world performance against Chelsea? The mouth waters!

2. Leo Messi will create chances

Lionel Messi, the 19th most ‘valuable’ player on Football Index

One of the stranger narratives emerging about Leo Messi vs. Liverpool last season is that he had a bad game at Anfield as the Blaugrana crashed out from Europe. And sure, he didn’t have his best night but he was directly involved in every chance Barca had that night with five shots and three chances created.

Those three chances were all golden, as well, with the Argentine putting Philippe Coutinho, Luis Suárez and Jordi Alba into 1v1 situations with Alisson. His team-mates all fluffed their lines, and Liverpool made history.

Now Barcelona face down a Bayern Munich juggernaut, and they may be up against it, but Messi will certainly still manage to create chances. He always does. Especially if Bayern aren’t able to call on Alphonso Davies due to injury. The Argentine will always get his passes off, he’ll always wreak havoc, and it’ll be up to his team-mates to deliver the finishing touches.

3. Bayern will target the full-backs

The amusing thing about Barcelona’s defence is that most of it is actually pretty great. Marc-André Ter Stegen is one of the world’s best goalkeepers, Gerard Piqué and Clement Lenglet among the best centre-backs, and Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong are masterful defensive midfielders, also amongst the world’s finest.

So why do Barcelona concede so many chances? Well, putting it charitably, their full-backs are less than stellar. Putting it more accurately, they’re bang average but playing in an offensive and expansive system that exposes both them and the defence as a whole.

Nelson Semedo and Jordi Alba are very promising going forward, and Semedo is a terrific 1v1 defender and decent on the cover, but neither know how to defend space. Alba is a problem because he can get played around by simple one-twos, and Semedo’s tendency to get sucked in and leave his man unmarked at the far-post is becoming legendary.

Bayern Munich will be all too aware that if they attack Barcelona in the space behind the full-backs, they will get plenty of joy. Quique Setién’s diamond formation (which he is likely to use against Bayern) exacerbates this issue as it asks both full-backs to constantly play very high up the field. The likes of Serge Gnabry and Alphonso Davies are going to have a field day running into those spaces.

4. Lewandowski will make history, Suárez will become history

Lewandowski's stats profile on Football Index

Lewandowski’s stats profile on Football Index.

With just one goal against Barcelona, Robert Lewandowski will become just the fifth player to score 50 Champions League goals for a single club, and the very first to do it for a team besides Barça or Real Madrid. He will also become only the third player ever to score in eight straight Champions League games. These would be phenomenal achievements, and in fact they will be phenomenal achievements because there is simply no way that Barcelona will be able to keep this man out for 90 (or 120) minutes.

“Robert Lewandowski is a player that has improved with age and although on the wrong side of 30, he doesn’t look like stopping any time soon. With a staggering 56 goals already this season and an incredible record in the Champions league, £2.72 could be a snip for him on Football Index. He takes penalties and often free kicks and scores goals for fun. He is however at the highest price he has been at in some time and it’s always worth treading carefully when buying players with specific games in mind as he could easily drop off if Barca were to get the win.

However win or lose, he is a solid hold for at least another season and his dividend returns should outweigh any doubt in his price. There are a few other players from Bayern that could be valuable holds, including Thiago, who is great for performance dividends and a likely transfer target for Liverpool, which could see his price rise.” – tipster Craig Rennie, of Football Index Elite

And while Lewandowski is setting records, the striker at the other end, the one striker who can claim to be definitively better than Lewandowski over the last decade, is going to cement his inexorable decline. Luis Suárez has been a legendary goalscorer for Barcelona, but age defeats everyone. Especially those who rely on their athleticism as the Uruguayan does.

Suárez has not scored a Champions League goal outside of the Camp Nou since September 2015. Literally half a decade ago. Since then he has played 1,896 minutes without scoring, taking 67 shots in that time. His profligacy will continue in Portugal, only highlighting his athletic inadequacy and how much of a detriment he is to Barcelona’s play as a whole.

5. Bayern Munich will win

When you look at all the above, there’s only one logical conclusion for Friday night’s clash: Bayern Munich will win. The Bavarians are just too strong and would have given a firing and in-form Barcelona a game, let alone the misfiring outfit that the Blaugrana are now.

Moreover, Bayern have a great record against Barcelona throughout history. In the eight matches the pair have played, Barcelona have won just two (at the Camp Nou in 2009 and 2015), drawing once and losing five times against the Bavarians. That bodes ill for their chances.

Finally, Bayern are in absolutely incredible form. The Bavarians have won the last 18 competitive games in a row. They’ve won 22 out of 23 competitive games this year. They’ve already picked up the Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal and will be looking to add the Champions League to secure their second-ever treble. Now whether they’ll go all the way is still up for debate, but they will beat Barcelona.

RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid

RB Leipzig vs Atletico Madrid

RB Leipzig are competing in the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in their history but face a tough task in 2016 finalists Atletico Madrid in Lisbon on Thursday night (20:00 kick-off).

Julian Nagelsmann’s Leipzig have already navigated a tough Group G, which included the likes of Lyon and Benfica, as well as annihilating Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 on aggregate in the last-16, but this encounter presents their toughest challenge thus far.

Atleti are notoriously difficult to break down, so the Saxony club will need to be firing on all cylinders when they take to the Estadio Jose Alvalade. Their hopes of breaching the Madrid goalmouth have been dented, however, after star striker Timo Werner opted to join Chelsea before the end of the protracted season.

Diego Simeone’s men will be hoping to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2016/17 and have already eliminated reigning champions Liverpool, but can Los Colchoneros pull off another huge win and set up a meeting against one of Atalanta or PSG in the penultimate round?

Previous XIs & pre-match team news:

  • RB Leipzig (vs Augsburg): Mvogo; Konate, Upamecano, Halstenberg; Mukiele, Adams, Haidara, Tasende; Forsberg, Olmo; Werner*.
  • Atletico Madrid (vs Real Sociedad): Oblak; Trippier, Savic, Felipe, Lodi; Koke, Herrera, Partey, Vitolo; Costa, Morata.

It was confirmed by Atletico Madrid on Monday that both Angel Correa and Sime Vrsaljko have tested positive for coronavirus and will now undergo a period of self-isolation at home, meaning they have not travelled with the squad for Thursday’s meeting.

With Timo Werner now in west London after completing his move to Chelsea, RB Leipzig will need to tweak things around up front, which could mean a two-man partnership of Yussuf Poulsen and Patrik Schick. In other news, last-16 hero Marcel Sabitzer is a major doubt for this clash.

Players to watch:

RB Leipzig: Werner is now out of the equation of course, and Marcel Sabitzer, who netted twice in the previous round, is a potential absentee. So Nagelsmann will need to look elsewhere for a trusty source of goals, especially as the Bundesliga club are coming up against one of the most formidable defences in Europe. One player who could prove the difference-maker in this one-legged contest is Emil Forsberg, who scored the final goal in Leipzig’s win over Spurs. The Swede is currently enjoying his most prolific campaign, with 10 goals in all competitions, and has scored four of Leipzig’s last eight Champions League goals. Each of those came in the opening or closing 10 minutes of the match, too.

Atletico Madrid: RB Leipzig have never been involved in a goalless Champions League draw, so expect some fireworks on Thursday night. Granted, the German club have only contested in 14 matches in Europe’s flagship tournament, but they are typically a side accustomed to feasts of goalscoring activity. With this being a straight knockout match, Simeone will know his side need goals themselves, and in Alvaro Morata, he has a striker who likes to turn up in these latter stages. Eight of Morata’s 15 Champions League goals have come in the knockout stages (53 per cent), which is more than any other Spaniard since 2013/14. So don’t be surprised to see the former Chelsea marksman turning up and doing the business in Portugal.

Scoreline prediction: RB Leipzig 1-2 Atletico Madrid

Champions League 2019/20 recent form:

  • RB Leipzig: WWDDW
  • Atletico Madrid: WWWLL