Lyon vs. Sevilla Preview
Where: Parc Olympique Lyonnais – Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, December 7, 2:45 PM ET
Line: Lyon +137 vs. Sevilla +160, tie +229; total: 2.5 – view all Champions League lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN2
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Betting on Lyon (+137)
Can you believe it? Lyon are still alive in the Champions League after results went their way in Matchday 5. Thanks to their 1-0 win in Zagreb and Sevilla’s shock home defeat to leaders Juventus, Lyon now has a clear path to the knockout stages. They must beat Sevilla by two goals or more to qualify for the round of 16 of the Champions League.
Their preparation for this pivotal tilt has been hampered, though, by some unfortunate events over the weekend. Their match against Metz was abandoned after just 30 minutes last Saturday after home supporters threw firecrackers at goalkeeper Anthony Lopes. He is now a huge doubt for the match against Sevilla with Lopez suffering from traumatic deafness. With Lopes possibly out, the pressure is on backup goalie Mathieu Gorgelin to hold the fort for the French giants. If he gets the start today, he will be making just his seventh appearance for Lyon and his first since January.
That being said, manager Bruno Genesio can take comfort in the fact that his side is playing some solid football right now. They have lost only once (to PSG) in their last seven outings. They’ve picked up four points from their last two Champions League games, with the 1-1 stalemate at Juventus being the standout result. If Lyon are to advance, though, into the round of 16, they will need to improve on their erratic home form. Lyon have lost four of their last five home games in the Champions League. In addition to that, they have won just one of their last six home games against Spanish opposition in the Champions League (a 1-0 win against Real Madrid in 2010).
Betting on Sevilla (+160)
Sevilla may be coming off a stunning 3-1 loss to Juventus in their last Champions League match but they will still feel good about themselves heading into their crunch showdown with Lyon. They are currently occupying the second spot in Group H and could go top if they win against Lyon and Juventus drop points to Dinamo Zagreb. Even a one-goal defeat for Sevilla today will be enough to see them through into the round of 16.
Sevilla will fancy their chances of grabbing the necessary result as they have fared extremely well on the road in the Champions League this season. They have yet to allow a goal on their travels in Europe this campaign. Sevilla could become the first side since Real Madrid in the 2011-12 season to keep three clean sheets away from home in a Champions League group campaign.
Expected to lead the Sevilla attack against Lyon is Wissam Ben Yedder. He leads the team in scoring with a whopping eight goals this campaign. One of those goals came in the 1-o win against Lyon in the reverse fixture. With Franco Vazquez out due to suspension, the onus is on Ben Yedder to carry the scoring cudgels for Sevilla. He found the back of the net in Sevilla’s 2-1 loss to Granada over the weekend.
Writer’s Prediction
Sevilla (+160) go through with a narrow 2-1 win.
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