UEFA Champions League 2018/19: 3 reasons why Barcelona should be wary of Lyon
After a routine win over Rayo Vallecano at home to regain their seven-point lead in LaLiga, Barcelona turn their attention to the Champions League where they face off against Lyon in their round-of-16 second leg clash at the Camp Nou.
The two teams played out a goalless draw in the first leg and Barcelona would be seeking to get the job done in the second leg to advance to the last eight of the UCL for the 12th season running. Barcelona are clear favorites to win the game at Camp Nou.
However, the tie is far from over and Barcelona would be wary of the threat posed by Lyon. In this piece, let's take a look at three reasons why Barca should be worried about the Ligue 1 side.
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#3 Their lack of an away goal
In the first leg played at the Groupama stadium, both sides battled to a goalless draw which set the tie firmly in the balance ahead of the second leg at the Camp Nou.
Barcelona huffed and puffed, controlling proceedings for the entirety of the match, but they had nothing to show for it as their hosts defended resolutely, forcing the Catalans to leave empty-handed.
In total, Barcelona had 64% of the possession and hit 20 shots (of which just five were on target), but all of that counted for nothing as they failed to find the back of the net.
This puts Barcelona in the precarious situation of not having the cushion of an away goal, which means that for every goal Lyon scores, Barcelona has to score one more.
Away goals are extremely important in deciding the outcomes of UCL knockout ties and Barcelona's lack of one could come back to haunt them.