Lyon v Besiktas: Hosts may struggle to shoot Black Eagles down

Lyon v Besiktas
Thursday April 13, 20:05
Live on BT Sport Extra

Both of these sides tumbled out of the Champions League earlier this season, but both have really impressed in the knockout rounds of this competition. Lyon smashed AZ Alkmaar 11-2 on aggregate, and then narrowly overcame Roma in one of the best two-legged ties I have ever seen. As for Turkish champions and current Super Lig leaders Besiktas, they recorded impressive wins against Hapoel Beer Sheva and Olympiakos.

Lyon aren't exactly going into this quarter-final clash in the best of form. Coach Bruno Genesio clearly had one eye on this game as he rested Alex Lacazette and Mathieu Valbuena for the weekend's clash with struggling Lorient, but he had to bring them on anyway in the second half to try and rescue a game that ended up 4-1 to the relegation-battling visitors. OL have now won just one of their last five games.

Conversely, Besiktas have opened up a five-point lead at the top of their league, and you have to go back to mid-February to find the last match they lost. The loss of striker Vincent Aboubakar to suspension is a blow, but the Black Eagles still have plenty of other players on form. Cenk Tosun, Ryan Babel and Anderson Talisca are a danger going forward, while Oguzhan Ozyakup has been outstanding in midfield.

Lyon can't select Dutch forward Memphis Depay, as he wasn't put into their Europa League squad. Central midfielder Maxime Gonalons is suspended, so youngster Lucas Tousart will step in alongside Corentin Tolisso. Besiktas goalkeeper Fabri has recovered from a facial injury, but wing wizard Ricardo Quaresma is struggling to be fit.

Besiktas are in better form, but without Quaresma and Aboubakar, wily old coach Senol Gunes may decide that discretion is the better part of valour and play a bit more defensively. The market expects plenty of goals here, but I suspect Besiktas won't want to be drawn into a shootout in the costly way that Roma were in the last 16.

Lyon aren't quite firing on all cylinders, and while I suspect they'll get superb backing from their fans at the excellent new Parc OL, I think Besiktas can cope with that and dig in. At 1.63, the hosts seem a bit short to me.

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