UEFA Champions League 2018-19: 3 things Barcelona can do win against Lyon
The second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 encounters is set to continue tonight as Atletico Madrid face Juventus at the Old Lady Stadium with a 2-0 lead, while Manchester City, who won 3-2 at Schalke 04 will face the Bundesliga side at Etihad. Bayern and Liverpool played out a tough draw at Anfield the last time and it's all to play for at the Allianz Arena. Another game that will also gain massive attention is the one between Barcelona and Lyon which will take place at Camp Nou tomorrow.
Barcelona fans were once again a bit too confident on their qualification chances ahead of the first leg of their encounter with the French giants, despite the fact that they have been knocked out three times in a row in the past three years in the knockout games. But, if not for Ter Stegen, the Catalans would have conceded at least 2 goals at the Olympic Lyon Stadium.
Lyon looked a robust side when Barcelona tried to attack, and they were impressively efficient going forward as well. They certainly missed their talisman Nabil Fekir, but the way they managed to cope up without him was brilliant. The two sides played out a goalless draw in the first leg, and it is going to be unpredictable as to who will steal the show tomorrow night.
However, if Barcelona are to emerge victorious in their backyard, here are three things they need to do:
#3 High pressing
Almost every team's major game plan while facing big sides like Barcelona or Real Madrid is to defend deep and attack through counters, Lyon had different plans. They literally played the Barcelona way, starting attacks from the back and not letting Barcelona have much possession on the ball.
Bruno Génésio knew what he had to do - the lesser Barcelona has the ball, the better. The fact that Leo Messi had limited involvement in the game except for a few key passes justifies this approach. Lyon's robust defense won them a draw that day because Barcelona had nearly 5 shots on target, none converted - thanks to some amazing goalkeeping from Anthony Lopes.
One way by which Barcelona can win tomorrow is by pressing high up the pitch in the starting minutes, forcing Lyon to commit early mistakes. This could lead to a goal in the opening minutes of the game and it would be a massive boost for Barca and the chants will grow, even more, making it a difficult night for Lyon.