Manchester City begin their Champions League campaign on Wednesday with what should be a relatively easy home game against Lyon. City have been given a comfortable draw in the group stages, with the French side joining Hoffenheim from Germany and Shakhtar Donetsk from the Ukraine. Something that City will certainly be targeting is maximum points from their home games and that will more than likely be enough to see them through. They look sure to pick points up away from home too, and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see them win all six of their group games when you compare their squad to that of the opposition.

Their opponents in the opener Lyon used to be a good European team but over the past few seasons they have declined. They are no longer the force of old, and won’t phase City, or anyone else they play in this group. They have one or two good players who have the ability to cause problems, but on the whole whether the game is played in England or France, Lyon have a lot to find to even compete with Manchester City.

Time for Manchester City to go Close in Europe

We saw Manchester City really dominate the Premier League last season and they have created a gap that serparates them from the rest of the division. Liverpool have come out and closed that gap this season, and they look set to challenge for the title but despite their improvement, Manchester City are still the team to beat. I don’t think the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham have declined much over the past couple of seasons, this is more a reflection of the improvement that City have made, and how far they have distanced themselves from the rest of the league.

The big sign that City are special for me is how they cope with injuries. Thier current position is a prime example of this, with star man Kevin de Bruyne out injured at the moment. Without him City can still field a top class team that has the ability to ease past good teams and stamp their authority on games. They could pick up another injury and still have the same kind of quality, their depth is something that sets them apart from many other teams in the world, nevermind in the Premier League.

This is where I think Liverpool may fall a little short, for example if you took Mo Salah and Virgil Van Dijk out of the Liverpool team, would they still be able to perform at the highest level? I don’t think they would, whereas City would put a couple of top class replacements in and continue as if nothing had happened.

However, this season and going forward in general, what City have to do is use that depth and really push hard to win the Champions League. They are close to being at a point where domestic success is no longer seen as the measuring stick, and European success is needed. While we have see City play well in Europe on a number of occasions, they have never really looked like genuine winners of the Champions League. This has to change, and this season they look capable of doing that. Their squad is full of players who have Champions League experience and they have to start converting that into wins which take them to the latter stages of the competition.

It seems strange saying this about a competition that is so well contested by the best teams in Europe but anything other than the semi-finals would probably be seen as a disappointment for City this season. They have to convert the chances they are getting in the Champions League and show the rest of Europe that they have what it takes to win probably the best club competition in the world.

From Leaders of French Football, Lyon are in the Shadows

Not too long ago, Lyon were making big strides in Europe and while they never made it to the top table, they were the team that no one really wanted to draw. However, as big money has poured into Paris SG and to a lesser extent Monaco, Lyon have been left in the shadows of their French rivals.

No longer are Lyon feared in Europe, and they are also no longer expected to make it through to the knockout round. Somehow, they have to turn this around and become a force again. They don’t have the money to compete with Paris SG and Monaco, but they have never really had much money, and have always found a way in the past. The next two or three years are going to be very interesting to watch, can Lyon keep up or will they fall behind other chasing clubs like Marseille, and will we see the end of them competing in the Champions League?

Manchester City vs Lyon Betting Tips

I think the Champions League will begin with a bang on Tuesday when English team Liverpool beat French team Paris SG. Then on Wednesday, while the game won’t have the same impact, I think we will see the same again with an English team beating a French team in this one. Manchester City look to be far too strong for Lyon here, and only a comfortable victory for City looks to be on the cards.

There is little value in backing City to win the game outright, so the handicap markets come into play. I think City will take this seriously and they will want to lay down an early marker for the rest of Europe to take a look at. I don’t think they will let up and ease off, and when City get going they are a very dangerous opponent. I can see them scoring three, four or maybe even five here, while being strong enough to keep the Lyon attacking line at bay.

The best value handicap line looks to be the -2 line, where City can be backed at 2.27. They have to win by three goals or more here, which won’t be easy but all I can see here is City going hard and eventually putting a few past Lyon. I don’t think the away team will score, so we need three goals from the hosts to make this bet a winner. This could well be a very tough night for Lyon, while City fans will be hoping this is the first of many European wins for them this season as they look to go deep into the latter stages of the Champions League.

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