Goliath and the not so David at the Camp Nou
What seemed like the dream matchup for the Blaugrana turned out to be quite the challenge at the Olympic Stadium in Lyon where they were quite fortunate in getting away with a draw but the question is, can Lyon repeat the feat?
Barcelona
Barca have had a stellar season so far topping La Liga with a 7 point cushion as well as having won their Champions League group in emphatic fashion. They've won 19 games, drawn 6 and lost 2 which is not a bad haul even for a team of Barcelona's stature given the quality of the other teams in the league. Messi and co. have scored a staggering 69 goals and have only shipped 26 which is impressive however you choose to look at it. During the aforementioned CL group stage they came away with 4 wins and 2 draws from a group consisting of Inter Milan, Tottenham and PSV Eindhoven, not bad at all.
Notable absentees
Rafinha, Vermaelen
Lyon
Les Gones undoubtedly have an immense amount of talent within their ranks with players such as Memphis Depay and Nabil Fekir which is of course why they are capable of causing upsets against the continent's biggest teams, most notably Paris "endless oil money" Saint-Germain. However, they are remarkably uneven, often dropping points against lower table teams which is why they are never able to mount a serious title challenge. Lyon currently sit third in the league with 14 wins, 8 draws and 6 losses and have scored an acceptable 47 goals but have shipped a whopping 33 which is simply not okay for a title chasing team.
Notable absentees
Marcal, Marcelo and Morel
Betting tip
Barca look very strong indeed at the moment which is why I'll be backing a Barcelona (-1) handicap win at 57/100 with Bethard.
The adrenaline junkies out there could give Barcelona to win without conceding at 6/5 a punt.
