Barcelona vs Lyon Predictions

Barcelona headed over to France last month as heavy favourites against a Lyon side who many seemed to be underestimating. The hosts on the night had already clinched massive results against big teams, including a win at the Etihad in the Champions League group stages and bringing an end to PSG’s unbeaten Ligue 1 record.

The French side put up a much better fight than many expected, holding the Catalan giants to a goalless draw and keeping themselves well in the tie for the second leg trip to the Camp Nou. However, holding Barcelona at home and beating them in front of 90,000 Catalans are two very different things.

The hosts clinched a 3-1 win against Rayo Vallecano at the weekend despite going a goal down in the first half, bouncing back from their Supercopa de Catalunya defeat to Girona in midweek. That match aside, in which they played an almost full second string side, Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 11 competitive games, winning seven of them.

Lyon, on the other hand, have suffered a slight downturn in form over the last month or so. They dropped points again at the weekend as they relinquished a 2-0 lead to draw with Strasbourg, making it three wins, two draws, and two defeats from their last seven competitive games.

Three of these four failures to win have come away from home too, leaving them without an away win since the start of February. Now they face a Barcelona side who haven’t lost at the Camp Nou since November, winning nine of their 12 competitive games there since.

One thing Lyon can be reasonably confident in is their ability to grab a goal. Barcelona have conceded in five of their last six home matches in all competitions, and despite Lyon’s recent downturn in form, they have still scored in 14 of their last 16 competitive away games.

The French visitors have scored in all but one of their Champions League matches this season too, including netting six goals in their three away matches. With Barcelona conceding in four of their seven continental outings this term, backing Both Teams to Score here looks a great choice. In the end we’re expecting the hosts’ superiority to shine through though, so we’re also opting for a 3-1 win for Barcelona.