Manchester City vs Lyon: 5 key player battles | UEFA Champions League 2019-20
When Manchester City and Olympique Lyon meet at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon on Saturday night, City manager Pep Guardiola will be looking to make it past the last eight of the UEFA Champions League for the first time with the Premier League club.
After defeating Spanish champions Real Madrid 4-2 on aggregate in the Round of 16, the Cityzens face Ligue 1 side Lyon who overcame Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus in the same stage of the competition on away goals after their two-legged affair ended 2-2 on aggregate.
When Manchester City and Lyon clashed in the group stage of the 2018-19 Champions League, the well-drilled French team won 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium and played out a 2-2 draw in the return game at the Groupama Stadium.
This time, the stakes are much higher for both clubs in this one-legged last-eight tie. So with the stage all set for this showdown between Manchester City and Lyon, we take a look at five key player battles that could decide the outcome of the game.
#5: Kyle Walker (Manchester City) vs Maxwel Cornet (Lyon)
Kyle Walker might've had an average campaign with Manchester City this season. But when City meet Lyon for a place in the Champions League semi-finals, he will have to produce a display on par with his heroics against Real Madrid last week when he succeeded in keeping Eden Hazard quiet.
This time, Walker will be up against Maxwel Cornet, a younger and fitter player who scored three of Lyon's four goals against Manchester City when the two teams last met in the 2018-19 season. Walker has since made a transition into a wing-back role where he has impressed this campaign.
Walker possesses a tremendous engine and can also make storming runs down the flank to contribute in attacks, where he may be able to exploit Cornet's penchant of failing to track back quickly enough. The Ivorian player often gets too occupied in the attacking play and leaves his side vulnerable to counter-attacks.
Both of these players are attack-minded defenders, and thus the outcome of the battle between them will be determined based on the quality of shift they put in defensively. Given Walker's experience, he just might be able to come out on top.
#4: Rodri (Manchester City) vs Houssem Aouar (Lyon)
Rodri has taken a central role in Manchester City's midfield, and as expected he works relentlessly to control and maintain possession by fighting off pressure from opponents. Possessing a natural ability to recycle possession, he is a very good reader of the game and passer of the ball as well.
He will need to be at his defensive best against Lyon, a side which is brimming with attacking talents in its ranks. Rodri will especially have to be wary of Houssem Aouar. The French midfielder earned the penalty against Juventus in the Round of 16 second leg that helped his side hang on to a win on away goals despite losing on the night.
The 22-year-old player likes to short passes. His quick feet allow him to dribble past opponents with ease, and most importantly, he wins a lot of fouls for his team in and around the final third. Thus Rodri will have to be cautious when dealing with Aouar or else risk conceding a free-kick in a dangerous position or even a penalty.
Rodri is a solid defensive midfielder and averages 2.7 tackles per game in the Champions League while also maintaining an impressive 93.6% pass success rate. Aouar is a tricky player to go up against as he has attempted 4.5 dribbles per game in the competition, but the only department in which he comes up short and might lose out against Rodri is in aerial duels.
Also Read: 10 players with the best minutes to goals ratio in the UEFA Champions League.