Lyon vs Juventus: Bianconeri seek fourth straight win over Les Gones
Juventus will be looking to make it four wins in four meetings when they travel to the Parc Olympique Lyonnais to take on Lyon in Champions League action this Tuesday.
The Bianconeri have won their past three encounters with Les Gones, whilst scoring five and conceding twice. After a disappointing start to their European campaign, Massimiliano Allegri’s men rebounded by thrashing Dinamo Zagreb 4-0 on matchday two. This matched their best ever away result in this competition, and they will arrive in France having won their past five games across all competitions.
Juventus were far from their best this weekend, but managed to edge out Udinese 2-1. Paulo Dybala was the star of the evening as his brace kept La Vecchia Signora at the top of the table. Meanwhile, upcoming opponents Lyon come into this game having lost 2-0 to Nice. If Allegri’s troops are cruising along, Bruno Génésio’s side are struggling. Les Gones have lost three out of their last four games across all competitions, and 50 per cent of their 12 competitive fixtures this term.
However, Lyon have a solid home record. Out of their past 15 matches at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, they have won 12. Their only loss to date was back in September, a 3-1 result against Bordeaux. The hosts will also be encouraged by the long-awaited return of Alexandre Lacazette, who scored 23 goals in all comps for the team last season. The French international had made a blistering start to this season, with six goals in just three games before being struck down by injury. And having returned to the fold this past weekend, he surely will be in the starting XI for what could be a tough clash for Les Gones. Meanwhile, both Clément Grenier and Christophe Jallet will be unavailable for this game.
Lyon’s track record against Juventus is quite poor, to say the least. They have lost their last three encounters, and overall, have a record of seven wins, four draws, and seven losses (three wins, draws, and losses at home) against Italian sides. Still, their opponents are facing an injury crisis and will have to make do without several key players.
With Giorgio Chiellini, Claudio Marchisio, Kwadwo Asamoah, Daniele Rugani, Mario Mandzukic, and Marko Pjaca all out, Allegri will have to reshuffle his starting line-up. The Italian tactician has also opted to call up Juventus starlet Moise Kean, who could set a record should he play. The Ivorian, who is reportedly 16, will be the first player born in 2000 to feature in the Champions League and fourth youngest overall in this competition.
During their five game winning streak, Juventus have conceded just once, which was during their 2-1 win over Udinese. The Bianconeri have an overall record of 14 wins, five draws, and five losses against French sides, and given their opponents’ indifferent form, are looking like the favorites to come out on top here – regardless of Lyon’s strong record on home turf. Having finished in second last term, Juventus will want to top their group to make sure they hopefully receive a more favorable draw in the round of 16 as they seek to make good on their massive spending this summer by going as far in this competition as possible.
