Lyon were the most impressive winners in the last round as they thumped AZ Alkmaar 11-2 on aggregate but they’ve been handed a tough draw as they play Roma, who are the second favourites for the tournament after they were impressive in knocking Villarreal out, winning 4-0 at El Madrigal against the side that have the best defensive record in La Liga.
After a poor spell of four defeats in seven games, plus an extra-time Coupe de France exit against Marseille, Lyon have since won four of five unbeaten games in all competitions, scoring 20 goals in their last four at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais. They started off this season in the Champions League and acquitted themselves fairly well on home turf, beating Zagreb 3-0 and holding Sevilla to a goalless draw, before they were edged out 1-0 against Juve. As such, we think they look a fair price here at 2.5, particularly as Roma have struggled in recent weeks.
Spalletti’s men lost the return leg against Villarreal and whilst they won at Inter in the league, they’ve lost a Coppa Italia Rome derby and were beaten 2-1 at home to Napoli in their last two games. They’ve lost five of their eight trips to top-half sides in the league, while they’ve won only three of their 13 European away games since 2014/15 and as a result we’re siding with their free-scoring hosts.
Betting intelligence provided by Football Form Labs
