Lyon to take control of Group F
Oleksandr Osipov / Shutterstock.com
Lyon shocked the Champions League on matchday 1 with a 2-1 win over Manchester City. The scoreline may have flattered the English champions as Lyon’s counterattack worked brilliantly against Pep Guardiola’s team throughout the night.
Now, Lyon host Shakhtar Donetsk on matchday 2 and can go a perfect six points from six with a win.
Shakhtar Donetsk finished matchday 1 with a 2-2 draw against Hoffenheim. Twice Shakhtar came back from a goal down to steal a point from the German team. In Lyon, the Ukrainians will face slightly stronger competition. Lyon are undefeated in their last five matches in all competitions.
Lyon failed to defeat France’s Nantes at the weekend. The teams’ 1-1 draw saw the club fail to move up to second place in Ligue 1. Nantes are second-bottom, and the draw showed Lyon’s attention was firmly on the Champions League. Lyon have a number of attacking stars that can inflict damage on Shakhtar. Memphis Depay is Lyon’s most dangerous creative player and scorer.
However, matchday 1 showed Depay isn’t the only Lyon player who can make his mark in a big game. Maxwel Cornet scored Lyon’s opening goal against Manchester City on the counterattack. The 22-year-old Ivorian is on the radar of "big” teams around Europe after impressing with Lyon. He has been used sparingly in Ligue 1, but manager Bruno Genesio could call up on him once more in the Champions League.
Attacking midfielder Nabil Fekir, who was close to a Liverpool move in the summer, has tallied three goals and two assists in all competitions. While Depay gets all the headlines, Fekir does much more of the creative work for the team.
Shakhtar have never played Lyon in the Champions League before. However, the French outfit know Shakhtar are dangerous and a loss could damage any hope of going through to the next round. Shakhtar are coming off of a 6-1 throttling of Karpaty in the Ukrainian Premier League. Since 2010, Shakhtar have qualified for the round of 16 on five occasions. The Champions League is nothing new to the club and qualifying for the round of 16 is expected each season.
Last year, Shakhtar finished second behind Manchester City in their Champions League group. The team even took three points off the favoured English side at one point. Shakhtar are no pushovers despite the lack quality of teams in the Ukrainian league. Brazilian forwards Moraes and Marlos lead Shakhtar in goals with 15 combined in domestic competition. Neither got on the score sheet against Hoffenheim, but Lyon’s defenders will need to be aware of the Brazilians on Tuesday night.
Although Shakhtar have proven they can take points away from their opponents, Lyon will prevail on Tuesday night. The French team will be buoyed by its home support and take control of Group F with six points from six.
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