SM
Man City vs. Spurs: 11 hrs 47 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
BL
Champions League | Round of 16
Mar 13, 2019 at 8pm UK
 
L

5-1

Messi (18' pen., 78'), Coutinho (31'), Pique (81'), Dembele (86')
FT(HT: 2-0)
Tousart (58')

Barca boss Ernesto Valverde wary of the threat posed by Lyon ahead of second leg

:Headline: Barca boss Ernesto Valverde wary of the threat posed by Lyon ahead of second leg: ID:353170: from db_amp
Valverde's side are big favourites

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has warned victory over Lyon in the second leg of their last-16 Champions League tie is no formality.

Valverde's side are big favourites after squandering a hatful of chances when they were held to a goalless draw in France three weeks ago.

But following shock wins last week for Manchester United and Ajax against big guns Paris St Germain and Real Madrid respectively, Valverde is taking nothing for granted.

"Nil-nil from the first leg is a result which benefits neither side because if neither of us score it will go into extra time," Valverde told a press conference.

"Lyon will come here with their weapons, they've got a very strong attack – very quick, powerful players up front and I'm sure they'll try to exploit that.

"They know how important it would be for them to get an away goal tomorrow, so I'm sure they'll look for that too."

Barca made a surprise quarter-final exit last season after being knocked out by Roma and while Valverde said that was of little concern, he admitted last week's upsets proved there are no easy games in the knockout stages.

"Look, we're not worrying too much about what happened a year ago, we've spoken enough about that. We're just worried about tomorrow's game," Valverde said.

"Last year happened. The other Champions League games are very important to appreciate what the other teams are like and it's a reminder that there are no small teams.

"Also, the result of the first leg does not always matter that much. You've seen some big turnarounds in the games last week.

"But in our case it's a very balanced result from the first leg. We have to win tomorrow if we want to qualify."

Valverde confirmed Ousmane Dembele will be assessed but he remains a big doubt after sustaining a hamstring injury in Saturday's home win against Rayo Vallecano, which kept Barca seven points clear at the top of LaLiga.

Lyon captain Nabil Fekir missed the first leg through suspension and said he had been counting down the days for Wednesday's return fixture.

"Barcelona are one of the best teams in Europe," the France international told Lyon's official website.

"It's always fun to play against these kinds of teams and it's normal that the fans expect a lot from me in this match. We will give our all. Even if we know that it's going to be a tough match."

Lyon let slip a two-goal lead at Strasbourg on Saturday and lie third in Ligue 1, seven points behind second-placed Lille and 21 adrift of runaway leaders PSG.

amp_article__353170 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-03-12 18:59:33:
html db last update - 2019-03-12 18:59:33 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Ernesto Valverde

Click here for more stories about Barcelona

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona13110240122833
2Real Madrid1283125111427
3Atletico MadridAtletico137511971226
4Villarreal127322319424
5Osasuna136341720-321
6Athletic Bilbao135531913620
7Real BetisBetis135531412220
8Real Sociedad135351110118
9Mallorca135351010018
10GironaGirona135351617-118
11Celta Vigo135262022-217
12Rayo Vallecano124441313016
13Sevilla134361218-615
14Leganes133551316-314
15Getafe142751011-113
16AlavesAlaves134181422-813
17Las PalmasLas Palmas133371622-612
18Espanyol123181122-1110
19Real ValladolidValladolid142391027-179
20Valencia11146817-97
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .