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Peter Green - September 16, 2019
Lyon vs Zenit St. Petersburg
Champions League
Date: Tuesday, 17 September 2019
Kick-off at 17:55 UK / 18:55 CET
Venue: Parc Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon).
Lyon bagged the third and final ticket to Europe from Ligue 1 last season having come in third behind Lille with a three-point deficit. Although the hosts did begin their new domestic campaign on a very strong note, it needs saying that they have been hit by a sharp dip in form and are without a win in their last three games in a running.
The squad’s most recent clash on the road saw them salvage not more than a point on the road against Amiens, while at home, they were forced to share the spoils with Bordeaux.
Zenit will be making the trip to Lyon on the back of a two-match winning streak back in Russia. The reigning champions of the Super League are breathing down the neck of Krasnodar for the top spot and are level with them on points at the moment as well. However, they too have had their first taste of defeat in the new season, and to make matters worse it was on a trip on the road.
With Lyon unbeaten in their last five competitive games at this venue, the pressure will be on the Russian outfit as an opening defeat is certainly in the reckoning for them in this one.
A lot has changed since the teams last met in the year of 2015. The home team have been on a much more convincing form and their third-place finish last season is certainly a testament to that as well.
Furthermore, Lyon have not admitted defeat in any of their home games in the new season and have also found the back of the net seven times from their previous two clashes here. It also needs saying that the French outfit’s main man upfront Moussa Dembele is the joint leading goalscorer in the domestic league with five goals to his name.
Although Zenit have been exerting their superiority in their recent fixtures, it is worth mentioning that their only loss so far came in one of their outings. Taking into account the home record that the hosts have at hand, expect Lyon to deprive the visitors of any points on Tuesday.
Eight of the last fourteen goals overall and four of the last seven for Sylvinho’s men at home have come in the opening forty-five minutes of the game. Considering that they have also found the back of the net right from the first half in their last two games here in a row as well, by all means, expect Lyon to breach their opponents before the break.
