Manchester City duly converted their first leg advantage over Real Madrid and their reward for an aggregate 4-2 victory is this quarter final tie with Lyon (3pm ET Saturday). It looks to be a comfortable match on paper for the 2018/19 English champions but will the French underdogs spring a surprise?
All quarter final Champions League matches have to be settled on the night and our list of top-rated, trusted sportsbooks have a clear favorite for this one.
Man City vs Lyon Moneyline Odds with Sportsbooks
Pep Guardiola’s Man City are way out in front with best industry odds of around -350 for the win. The draw is the next option on the schedule at a general +500 while the top prices for a Lyon victory come in at +1100.
Those betting odds accurately reflect the qualities of these two sides: Lyon may have qualified for this season’s Champions League but, when French top flight football was halted in March, they were in a disappointing mid-table position. Their domestic form has been patchy but we can’t ignore the fact that they overcame hot favorites Juventus in their round of 16 tie. In a one-off quarter final, they have a chance but the odds setters look to have got this one right.
Prop Bets Worth Considering
If you expect Man City to win on the night then we will need to look at the prop markets for some better value. Last time out against Real Madrid, we took a profit on Raheem Sterling in the 90 minute goalscorer market. This would have enjoyed a better return if we had backed the England winger to open the scoring but he is a solid pick in any of the individual markets.
That goal in the second leg against Real made it 31 for the season and USAbetting is happy to make a Sterling anytime goal the first confirmed pick of our Man City vs Lyon predictions.
While Sergio Aguero continues to be ruled out through injury, Gabriel Jesus is favorite in places in these goal scorer markets. Jesus also scored against Real Madrid and he can be claimed at around +300 to find the net first.
In terms of Lyon players, the man to watch is Moussa Dembele. A reported target for some of the big clubs in Europe, including Barcelona, Dembele averages around a goal every two games for his current employers.
With some serious striking talent in both camps, the goals markets looks interesting for Saturday’s fixture and this could be where the value lies. Given that Lyon have been struggling in the league, we had hoped that the Both Teams to Score bet would hit the +100 (evens) mark. It has just scraped over that mark and that should be worth adding to your betslip. Remember that Lyon found the net in both games against the mighty Juventus and that’s a good indication for this UCL game.
The Total Goals betting is another market to consider based on the theory that we expect Lyon to score at least once. Over 2.5 goals is at short odds but, if we push that a little further to Over 3.5, we can get around +135 and that’s a more acceptable figure.
For those who want to take a wager on a more volatile market, the Correct Score bet is a popular place to be. Our preference here would be a 3-1 victory in favor of MCFC and this wager can be claimed at prices in the region of +1000.
As a point to remember, all of the odds quoted here are for the result in 90 minutes and they exclude the possibility of any overtime.
Our Preview’s MCFC vs Lyon Predictions & Betting Picks Verdict
Manchester City should certainly come through this fixture with some ease. Another important indicator is the fact that Pep Guardiola’s men have been active since June when the English Premier League returned while the scrapping of Ligue 1 in France means that Lyon have been largely dormant.
The one concern is Lyon’s battle to overcome Juventus in the previous round. They were clear underdogs but a hard-fought win, via the away goals rule, will have some bettors happy to get behind the outsiders.
This preview expects a comfortable victory for the favorites but there could definitely be some value in taking the prop bets. It’s all about the goals in our opinion and, while that 3-1 scoreline in favor of City is tempting, we’ll play a little safer this time. Lyon do not have the luxury of a second leg so they will have to attack to an extent and that will leave gaps in their defense for MCFC to exploit. At the same time, Manchester City’s form guide suggests that they can be vulnerable at the back.
With that theory in mind, here are our three recommended picks and MCFC vs Lyon predictions for this UCL quarter final and remember, they are all for the normal time period only and exclude any overtime.
- Raheem Sterling to score at any time in 90 minutes @ best odds of -105 with Bovada. It is -111 with BetOnline (they describe this market as: ‘goals at least 1’) and -120 with Intertops.
- Both Teams to Score (BTTS) @ +110 with Bovada or Intertops.
- Over 3.5 Goals @ +145 with Bovada. It is +135 with Intertops.
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.