Reporting Sports in a refreshing style

Champions League: Barcelona draw at Lyon

  • Lyon 0-0 Barcelona
  • Fekir suspended; Depay starts
  • Suarez, Rakitic, Semedo, Lenglet return
  • Champions League last-16 first leg

Liyon have kept this one very much alive with a superb defensive performance to keep Barcelona at bay, and they might have nicked it had Terrier’s first-half effort crept under the bar, but Ter Stegen did well to turn it onto the woodwork and away.

It’s all to play for back at the Nou Camp in mid-March.

Preview Below

Barcelona face Lyon in the Champions League last-16 first leg tonight.

 See the teams starting XI below and  follow up for updates of the match which starts by 9:pm (Nigeria time).

The game is live at Groupama Stadium, France

View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter

MATCH FACTS

  • Barcelona are unbeaten against Lyon, winning four of their six previous matches with the French club, all in the Champions League. The Catalans have also scored in all six of those games.
  • Lyon and Barcelona’s last competitive encounter came 10 years ago, in the last 16 of the 2008-09 Champions League. Barcelona won 6-3 on aggregate.
  • It is the first time two teams are facing each other in the knockout stages without losing a Champions League game all season since Barcelona and Manchester United met in the 2007-08 semi-finals.
  • Lyon have made it to the knockout phase of the Champions League for the first time since 2011-12. They have been eliminated at this stage five of the last six times they have been this far.
  • Barcelona have reached the Champions League knockout stages for the 15th consecutive season. Only Real Madrid are on a longer run (22). The last time they failed to make it past the last 16 was in 2006-07 when they were eliminated by Liverpool.
  • Lyon have drawn each of their last five Champions League games – a sixth in a row would equal the record for most consecutive draws in a single Champions League season held by AEK Athens (2002-03) and Rangers (2005-06).
  • Lyon have averaged 44% possession in this season’s Champions League, the lowest ratio among the 16 teams left in the competition. Only Real Madrid have had more possession (65%) than Barcelona (64%).
  • Lyon conceded 11 goals in this season’s Champions League group stages, the highest total amongst the 16 clubs left in the competition.
  • All five goals conceded by Barcelona in this season’s Champions League have come in the second half, including three in the final 10 minutes.
  • Lyon’s Memphis Depay has assisted four goals in the Champions League this season, the joint-most alongside Kylian Mbappe and Riyad Mahrez. The last Lyon player to assist four or more goals in the competition was Juninho Pernambucano in 2008-09 (four).
  • Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has scored 90 goals in his last 90 starts in the competition.
  • Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has failed to score (or deliver an assist) in his last 1,418 minutes away from home in the Champions League – 23 hours and 38 minutes without finding the net or setting up a goal. The last time he scored on the road came in September 2015 against Roma.
You might also like

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.