SM
Ipswich vs. Man United: 1 hr 41 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
MC
Champions League | Quarter-Finals
Aug 15, 2020 at 8pm UK
Estádio José Alvalade
L

Man City
1 - 3
Lyon

De Bruyne (69')
Fernandinho (29'), Rodri (58')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Cornet (24'), Dembele (79', 87')
Dubois (12'), Marcelo (65')

Talking points ahead of Manchester City's European meeting with Lyon

:Headline: Talking points ahead of Manchester City's European meeting with Lyon: ID:410346: from db_amp
The Premier League side face their French opponents in Lisbon.

Manchester City face Lyon in the Champions League quarter-finals at the Jose Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon on Saturday.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some talking points ahead of the game.

City's best chance yet

(Gareth Fuller/PA)

It is not something the top brass at City openly – or at least regularly – admit, but the Champions League is widely believed to be the club's Holy Grail. With four Premier League titles in the modern era, transferring their domestic dominance onto the European stage is the next logical step in both their on-field and off-field development. There is a strong argument to say the new last-eight format, with all ties over one leg, in one city, in a short space of time, represents their best opportunity yet. Two-legged ties have been their undoing in recent years while one-off cup ties have been something of a speciality.

Eyes on Guardiola

(Martin Rickett/PA)

It is generally acknowledged that City brought in Pep Guardiola with this competition in mind. The Catalan is undoubtedly one of the greatest managers of his era but it is now nine years since the second of his two triumphs with Barcelona and, with his future beyond next season uncertain, time could be running out. All eyes will be on him to see if he can crack it this time after previous failures at the last-16 stage (Monaco in 2017) and quarter-finals (Liverpool and Tottenham in 2018 and 2019 respectively) with City. In the past he has been accused of "over-thinking" matters – something that may not be an issue in the streamlined one-leg format.

No Aguero

(Martin Rickett/NMC Pool/PA)

City's record goalscorer Sergio Aguero has been in a race against time to be fit for the latter stages of the competition after undergoing knee surgery in June. He has not yet been ruled out of the semi-finals, should City progress, but it is looking increasingly unlikely he will play any part in the tournament. With the player still in Barcelona receiving treatment, the Lyon clash clearly comes too soon.

Can De Bruyne do it again?

(Adrian Dennis/NMC Pool/PA)

Kevin De Bruyne has been City's outstanding player this term and the challenge for him now, to elevate himself to the status enjoyed by the game's elite, is to deliver on the biggest Champions League stage. The Belgian playmaker was involved when City reached the semi-finals under Manuel Pellegrini in 2016 but that is the only time he has gone deep into the competition.

In defence

(Shaun Botterill/PA)

Central defence has been City's weak spot all season – a fact recognised by the recent signing of Nathan Ake while the club continue to be linked with Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly. With Ake not eligible until next season, Guardiola reverted to playing experienced midfielder Fernandinho alongside Aymeric Laporte against Real Madrid last week. That appears to be the most likely line-up again with youngster Eric Garcia's recent breakthrough undermined by his refusal to sign a new contract amid links to Barcelona, and with John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi not wholly trusted.

amp_article__410346 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-08-14 18:48:28:
html db last update - 2020-08-14 18:48:28 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Read more about Pep Guardiola Football
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton11119721-144
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.



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