UEFA Champions League Preview

The final match day of the Round of 16 takes place on Wednesday night and after memorable day one of action, the remaining clubs have plenty to live up to in their pursuit of a quarterfinals appearance.

Juventus stole the show with an improbable three-goal turnaround, after having the opening strike taken off the board, the Old Lady responded with three more balls in the back of the net, placing the remaining European field on full notice.

Manchester City was even more ruthless with their opponent, posting a seven spot on German side Schalke. The Citizens remain the bookmaker's favorites to lift the Champions League title in Madrid.

Barcelona vs. Lyon
Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
TNT, Uni-Vision, SKY Sports
3-13-2019 - 4:00 pm ET - 9:00 pm GMT

The Catalans return home after a rare 0-0 draw in France their last time out. Now with it all to play for, Barca will attempt to eliminate Lyon from the final sixteen.

Barcelona is in a comfortable spot to proceed to the next round, after keeping the French-men off the scoreboard, Barca has made matters much more comfortable on themselves in the pursuit of yet another appearance in the quarterfinals. 

Ernesto Valverde has his eyes on the ultimate prize, after taking over the managerial responsibilities last season, the former Barca man has quietly gone about building a team that can compete on multiple fronts.

The Blaugrana's World Class Front-Line

Barca has the luxury of fielding one of the more feared front-lines on the planet, with both Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez leading the charge for the Catalan's, the hosts are always capable of high-powered performances.

Messi is the real catalyst of the team, able to elevate everyone around him, the Argentine forward has the ability to single handily carry a squad on his back, with 35 goals and 13 assists in all competitions, his rare skills are nearly impossible to contain, assuring he will have a positive influence at some point of any given match.

The home sides fellow South American is no slouch himself, with Suarez the primary beneficiary of Messi's greatness. The Uruguyuan striker routinely finds open space to produce his moments of magic. He will be anxious to collect his first Champions League goal of the campaign.

Team Prop
Barcelona - Team Total Over 2.5  -125 / 1.8 - Goals

Valverde will have to make a tough decision to make regarding the remaining forward position, with Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho both in contention to get the final nod. Each is fully capable of having a significant impact on the outcome in their own right.

The hosts are dealing with a small number of injury concerns, with Rafinha the only member officially ruled out, Barcelona has a large pool of talent to select from, as the team has got healthier over the past few weeks.

Barcelona has enjoyed matching up with Lyon on their pitch, the French-outfit have fallen to the Spaniards in their last three visits to the Camp Nou, while conceding a minimum of two goals over that same span of play.

Lyon is getting little backing to trump the Spanish side in their backyard, but with a core of talented young players, this team can shock any big club when they are entirely focused.

Bruno Genesio has been a stabilizing force with the club, since taking over coaching duties for his boyhood team in 2015. The Lyon native energized this club upon his arrival, bringing back a more attacking flair, the visitors are averaging 1.7 goals on the road, proving they are a threat to score multiple goals away from home.

The "Kids" Love To Play

The French outfit field one of the more exciting units in Europe, with Memphis Depay, Nabil Fekir, Moussa Dembele, and Bertrand Traore leading the attack within Lyon's vaunted offense, they have proven to be a handful for most teams to contain throughout the European landscape.

Depay is the team's most dynamic threat. The Dutch forward has revitalized his career since making a move to France, using his pace down the wings to open up defenses, he uses an array of passes and crosses to locate open targets while having rare finishing abilities with 10 goals and 12 assists in all competitions, the attacking midfielder should relish this opportunity.

Genesio also welcomes back Nabil Fekir to the starting eleven. The French international was unavailable during the first leg due to suspension, his presence on the pitch makes this team run at full capacity, the teams number-ten is the true creator who allows his fellow front-line members to  flourish when moving forward in attack, Fekir should have a beautiful day at the office based on specific matchups he will encounter.

The visitors will have two serious health concerns as match-time arrives, with Rafael and Marcelo facing fitness tests to determine their availability. The duo is important fixtures within Lyon's back-line, who are also capable of contributing on the offensive end of the pitch.  If this combination is unable to go, the roadside will have a glaring weakness as they attempt to contain Barcelona's all sophisticated attack.

Lyon has gone undefeated during their current Champions League run, beating the likes of Manchester City at the Etihad during the group stages, giving them plenty of confidence they can repeat the same type of feat against another European elite.

Barcelona vs. Lyon - Match Prediction

Barcelona has been on a mission to claim their sixth Champions League trophy, after being humiliated by Roma last season in the quarterfinals, the Blaugrana seemed to have been inspired by the historic collapse.

Barca has been dominant in second leg situations, often saving their best performances for the final leg situations. The hosts are averaging 2.9 goals at home in all competitions, assuring they will hit the back of the net on multiple occurrences, they should be highly motivated to make a statement, and discourage their pesky opponents along the way.

Lyon will be able to match firepower, with firepower, the question is if they will be able to handle their surroundings. The French squad is not used to these type of stages, traveling to Barcelona and facing one of the top teams in the world can be an overwhelming proposition, it will be interesting to see how the Kids respond if they find themselves a goal down early in this contest.

Match Prop
Both Teams To Score and Over 2.5 Goals  +110 / 2.1

Both teams are dominant down the wings and in counter-attacking situations. These are also weaknesses for each squad to defend. I expect to see an uptempo matchup, with both clubs pushing for goals on a routine basis, wanting to catch their opponents in vulnerable positions, as they find the back of the net multiple times before the final whistle blows.

Barcelona vs. Lyon - Betting Tips

Over  1.5  -110 / 1.91 - Total 1st Half Goals
Over 3.5  -115 / 1.87 - Total Full-Time Goals
Barcelona  -0.75  -135 / 1.74 - 1st Half Spread

Odds Provided by BookMaker

UCL - Bonus Betting Tips

Bayern Munich vs. Liverpool
Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
3-13-2019 - 4:00 pm ET - 9:00 pm GMT

Over 1  -125 / 1.8  - Total 1st Half Goal
Over 2.5  -125 / 1.8 - Total Full-Time Goals
Both Teams To Score and Over 2.5 Goals  +100 / 2.0

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