Lyon vs Bayern Munich Prediction & Betting Tips - Champions League

Prediction published on 17/08/2020, 08:34  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 18/08/2020 at 11:18 in Champions League Predictions

Can anyone stop Bayern Munich? This will be the question ringing in the ears of Lyon players on Wednesday night when they take on the German juggernaut in the Champions League semi-finals. Bayern made it to this stage after inflicting a jaw-dropping 8-2 defeat on Barcelona, one of the heaviest defeats in the Catalan giants' history. Many compared the stunning beating to Germany's famous 7-1 mauling of Brazil, with many of the same protagonists - like Thomas Muller - featuring. Lyon also pulled off a shock when they progressed at the expense of heavy favourites Manchester City. Pep Guardiola experimented with his line-up and yet again paid for this final-stage hesitancy with a 3-1 defeat. Having thrived as underdogs in the quarter-finals, Lyon know that they have already defied expectations by making it to the final four. The two clubs have met eight times previously in European competition, Lyon winning twice, Bayern winning four times, and two of the clashes ending level. While Bayern won the last three meetings, the most recent one took place ten years ago. Bayern made it to the Champions League final in that season.

Lyon's three-at-the-back formation stifled both Manchester City and Juventus. Defensively disciplined, the backline has able support from Bruno Guimaraes and Houssem Aouar. A shortened Ligue 1 season threatened to leave Lyon rusty but it instead appears to have given them a fresh edge over tired opponents, as their two late goals against City demonstrated. City played a high line and were caught out repeatedly by the clever breaks from Lyon's attackers. Bayern also play a high line and could find themselves breached on more than occasion. Bayern, however, are in much better condition than City or Juventus. A scoring machine, they have found the back of the net 112 times in Hansi Flick's 31 matches in charge, averaging 3.6 goals per game. In the Champions League, that average goes up to 4.3 goals per game. They average 23.3 shots per game, 7.3 better than the next-best team left in the competition, RB Leipzig. We could go all day with their attacking stats. Here's one last one: Bayern have scored at least one goal before half-time in their last 13 matches. They were 4-1 up at half-time against Barcelona. Back Bayern to be ahead at half-time and full-time.