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When Manchester City and Olympique Lyon meet at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon on Saturday night, City manager Pep Guardiola will be looking to make it past the last eight of the UEFA Champions League for the first time with the Premier League club.
After defeating Spanish champions Real Madrid 4-2 on aggregate in the Round of 16, the Cityzens face Ligue 1 side Lyon who overcame Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus in the same stage of the competition on away goals after their two-legged affair ended 2-2 on aggregate.
When Manchester City and Lyon clashed in the group stage of the 2018-19 Champions League, the well-drilled French team won 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium and played out a 2-2 draw in the return game at the Groupama Stadium.
This time, the stakes are much higher for both clubs in this one-legged last-eight tie. So with the stage all set for this showdown between Manchester City and Lyon, we take a look at five key player battles that could decide the outcome of the game.
#5: Kyle Walker (Manchester City) vs Maxwel Cornet (Lyon)
Kyle Walker might've had an average campaign with Manchester City this season. But when City meet Lyon for a place in the Champions League semi-finals, he will have to produce a display on par with his heroics against Real Madrid last week when he succeeded in keeping Eden Hazard quiet.
This time, Walker will be up against Maxwel Cornet, a younger and fitter player who scored three of Lyon's four goals against Manchester City when the two teams last met in the 2018-19 season. Walker has since made a transition into a wing-back role where he has impressed this campaign.
Walker possesses a tremendous engine and can also make storming runs down the flank to contribute in attacks, where he may be able to exploit Cornet's penchant of failing to track back quickly enough. The Ivorian player often gets too occupied in the attacking play and leaves his side vulnerable to counter-attacks.
Both of these players are attack-minded defenders, and thus the outcome of the battle between them will be determined based on the quality of shift they put in defensively. Given Walker's experience, he just might be able to come out on top.
#4: Rodri (Manchester City) vs Houssem Aouar (Lyon)
Rodri has taken a central role in Manchester City's midfield, and as expected he works relentlessly to control and maintain possession by fighting off pressure from opponents. Possessing a natural ability to recycle possession, he is a very good reader of the game and passer of the ball as well.
He will need to be at his defensive best against Lyon, a side which is brimming with attacking talents in its ranks. Rodri will especially have to be wary of Houssem Aouar. The French midfielder earned the penalty against Juventus in the Round of 16 second leg that helped his side hang on to a win on away goals despite losing on the night.
The 22-year-old player likes to short passes. His quick feet allow him to dribble past opponents with ease, and most importantly, he wins a lot of fouls for his team in and around the final third. Thus Rodri will have to be cautious when dealing with Aouar or else risk conceding a free-kick in a dangerous position or even a penalty.
Rodri is a solid defensive midfielder and averages 2.7 tackles per game in the Champions League while also maintaining an impressive 93.6% pass success rate. Aouar is a tricky player to go up against as he has attempted 4.5 dribbles per game in the competition, but the only department in which he comes up short and might lose out against Rodri is in aerial duels.
Also Read: 10 players with the best minutes to goals ratio in the UEFA Champions League.
#3: Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City) vs Memphis Depay (Lyon)
Memphis Depay is Lyon's top threat up front and has been sharp in front of goal this season. He has scored six goals in the Champions League in as many appearances, including the cheeky Panenka penalty against Juventus.
Aymeric Laporte has finally recovered from a long-term injury that virtually kept him out of Manchester City's Premier League campaign this season. He will now be looking to make up for all the missed games with a solid performance in the Champions League quarter-final against Lyon.
Laporte will likely line up on the left of Fernandinho in central defence and face Memphis who will probably start on the right side of Lyon’s central strikers. So this will be an exciting battle to look out for between two highly talented players.
Laporte is an excellent ball-playing defender and completed 92.5% of all his passes in all competitions this season, but he tends to struggle against pacey strikers. He mostly relies on his reading of the game to steal the ball from an attacker as tackling is not one of his strongest suits.
Depay is a highly skilled striker who likes to dribble and cut inside. He is very efficient at layoffs but lacks the physical strength to cause any problems for centre-halves. tThus to get the better of Laporte, Depay will need to make the most of his quick feet and speed.
#2: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City) vs Marcelo (Lyon)
In attack, no players have been more crucial to Manchester City this season than Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus. Though Sterling has been their top scorer this season, Jesus is likely to be a key player against Lyon who operate with a strong three-man defence.
Jesus has scored six goals in the Champions League, the same Sterling has managed.
For a striker, the Brazilian generated an impressive 2.1 key passes per 90 and completed 86.4% of his passes. He also showed good strength in the final third, winning 2.6 aerial duels a game. This season, he has impressed particularly with his efficient high-intensity pressing.
Jesus will be up against a fellow countryman in Marcelo in the quarter-final fixture. The 33-year-old Lyon player has been a rock at the back for Les Gones. Across all competitions this season, he has won a whopping 3.7 aerial duels, making 1.4 tackles and 4.2 clearances per 90.
Both the players have had impressive outings in their last games in the competition. Jesus scored the winner against Real Madrid, and Marcelo made a heroic last-ditch tackle to deny Bernardeschi from scoring a goal of the season contender.
It will be an interesting battle between the two compatriots, in which Jesus' energy and skill will be pitted against Marcelo's experience and physical presence.
#1: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) vs Bruno Guimaraes (Lyon)
Manchester City and Lyon are two sides that love to dominate possession, and when you enjoy more possession than your opponent, the midfield likely plays a key role in the gameplan.
Manchester City had the most possession in the Premier League this season, while Lyon were only behind Ligue 1 champions PSG in their league in the same category. Both sides rely heavily on their midfielders to do the heavy lifting on the pitch and like to dominate the middle of the park.
Kevin De Bruyne has been the best midfielder at the Etihad Stadium by a mile this season, bagging 15 goals and 22 assists across all competitions. He displayed his unbelievable vision in the Premier League this term and impressed with his work-rate as well.
However, against Lyon, De Bryune will have to deal with the French team's gritty defensive midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.
Despite just seven appearances across all competitions, Guimaraes has emerged as a key cog in the Lyon wheel because of his impressive defensive prowess. He usually starts just ahead of the team's three-man defence and is tasked with screening out danger, much like Casemiro.
Guimaraes has shown commendable ball-winning abilities in the middle of the pitch. Though he is weak in aerial duels, against Manchester City's De Bruyne, he will have to play to his strengths - tackling and recycling possession.
Also Read: Manchester City vs Lyon prediction, preview, team news and more | UEFA Champions League 2019-20.
