Do Lyon possess the sang-froid to cope with rampant Real Madrid on Wednesday night?
Lyon have yet to lose at home in four previous meetings with Real Madrid, but they will be very much the underdogs when Jose Mourinho’s men come calling at the Stade Gerland on Wednesday night.
Los Blancos are the only side in the Champions League this season still with a 100 per cent record in the competition intact, something they preserved with utter aplomb when thrashing Lyon on Matchday 3 a fortnight ago, and the Spanish giants are already virtually assured of their place in the knockout phase.
The Bernabeu outfit have made a mightily impressive start to the current campaign and have won their last four in all competitions without conceding, yet amassing a sizeable haul of 12 goals in the four games in question. There’s no doubt that Los Merengues and Mourinho mean business.
Karim Benzema has struggled to hold his place in the Real Madrid first team but has been in good form this term, and has already scored two goals in his side’s three Champions League matches this term, plus the striker boasts a sound goalscoring record against Lyon, the club he plied his trade for prior to heading to the Spanish capital.
Lyon, currently joint second in the group with Ajax but behind the latter club on goal difference, still have a sound chance of progressing to the next stage of the competition, and Claude Puel’s men will be desperate for Dinamo Zagreb to do them a good turn and get something from their encounter with Ajax.
With the situation is as it is in Group D, I’m expecting Puel to set his side up to nick a draw from this fixture, for all that Lyon are the home side. Such tactics could prove counter-productive, though, given the sheer class of this Real Madrid side. I’m quite keen on draw/Real Madrid in the half time/full time market (a top-priced 4.60 with Unibet) as I reckon the home side will be able to keep Los Blancos at bay for the first half, but after the interval I envisage the cream rising to the top.