While Les Gones' attacking prowess means they may make a go of it, Al Hain-Cole is backing Guardiola's men to prove too strong at the Etihad Stadium Manchester City will be looking to get their Champions League campaign off to a winning start when they welcome Lyon to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. Having proved so dominant in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola's men were disappointingly knocked out of last season's competition by Liverpool in the quarter-finals. Latest Odds With the former Barcelona boss determined to reach his first Champions League final since 2011, his side are overwhelming 2/11 (1.18) favourites with bet365 to take the first step by collecting three points here. Les Gones have won just three of their last 13 fixtures in this competition, and are 16/1 (17.00) long shots to pull off a shock victory in this one. None of the hosts' last 12 European matches have resulted in draws, but there are odds of 15/2 (8.50) available on them being held to a stalemate on this occasion. Team News Benjamin Mendy and Sergio Aguero are both doubts due to injury, while Claudio Bravo and Kevin De Bruyne remain long-term absentees. Fernando Marcal is unlikely to feature due to a calf injury, with Amine Gouiri also sidelined after rupturing his cruciate ligaments. Prolific Lyon After missing out on Champions League qualification last season, Bruno Genesio's team will be keen to make up for lost time on their return to the competition. Having found the net in all but six of their last 52 fixtures in all competitions, the visitors will certainly fancy their chances of getting on target against a home team that has kept just four clean sheets in 17 Champions League games. Predictions Nevertheless, City's superior quality is likely to prove telling, with odds of 6/5 (2.20) well worth backing on Lyon coming away empty-handed despite getting on the scoresheet. Odds correct at the time of writing. Please gamble responsibly. Man City to win and both teams to score at 6/5 (2.20) for a 1.5pt stake with bet365<doc-sep>Manchester City is looked at as one of the favorites to win the Champions League, and while that still may be true, the team didn't live up to the hype on Wednesday. City suffered a 2-1 defeat to Lyon at home in what was arguably the biggest upset of the first matchday. It was a match where City's sloppiness cost the team three points, giving Lyon two great chances to capitalize. The first came from Maxwel Cornet, who finished with a lovely touch in the box 26 minutes in after Fabian Delph completely failed to clear a ball away. Take a look: Nabil Fekir put the ball in the right spot but was fortunate that the English defender couldn't get a touch, as Cornet did the rest. Then, 17 minutes later Fekir applied pressure on City's midfield, won his team the ball and scored a brilliant goal with this low strike in the 43rd minute: Poor stuff from City, but it still had opportunities to storm back into this one. With Pep Guardiola serving a touchline ban, Mikel Arteta fell flat in his first audition in charge. Anthony Lopes made some big saves in goal for the visitors to secure the upset, but there is plenty reason for City fans to remain optimistic. The team didn't play poorly in attack, the scoring was just off, which happens to the best of teams. The creativity was there for much of the match, and with Hoffenheim and Shakhtar Donetsk drawing, City is just in a one-point hole and will be favored to win its remaining matches. Not a good start, but there is still plenty to play for. Relive Manchester City vs. Lyon If the live blog doesn't load properly, click here.<doc-sep>Get the biggest City stories, analysis and transfer updates delivered straight to your inbox Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice The Champions League returns to the Etihad Stadium this week, and while Manchester City are clear favourites for the clash with Lyon, their task has been made slightly more difficult thanks to a UEFA ruling made last season. City reached the quarter-final stage last term, crashing out to Liverpool in a hot-tempered tie. Liverpool won 3-0 in the first leg, with City bosses unhappy at the welcome they received on the approach to Anfield. Some home supporters lit flares and pelted the City team bus with missiles, causing so much damage that a replacement coach had to be called to bring the team back. Pep Guardiola was clearly unhappy at the lack of protection given to City, and the following collapse at Anfield gave his side an uphill battle in the second leg at home. In that game, Gabriel Jesus pulled an early goal back for City, with Leroy Sane having a goal wrongly chalked off for offside later in the half. That prompted Guardiola to confront the referee at half-time, and he was sent off for the second half. City went on to concede twice and lose the tie 5-1 on aggregate. A UEFA ruling handed Guardiola a two-match suspension as a result of the half-time confrontation, meaning the manager will not be in the dugout for the Lyon game. The second game of the suspension is deferred for 12 months, meaning Guardiola should return for the game at Hoffenheim on 2 October. Of the incident, Guardiola explained: "I said it was a goal when the ball was passed to Leroy Sane. That’s why he sent me off." "I didn't insult him, I just said it's a goal, the ball came from Milner. He said, 'oh the pass came from [James] Milner?' And I said yes, it came from Milner. "I was polite, I was correct but [referee Antonio Miguel] Mateu Lahoz is a special guy - he likes to be different, he likes to be special. "It would have been different to go in 2-0."<doc-sep>Get the biggest City stories, analysis and transfer updates delivered straight to your inbox Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Manchester City get their Champions League campaign underway against Lyon at the Etihad on Wednesday night. Pep Guardiola’s side will be looking to make their intentions clear in the competition after their European run ground to a disappointing halt last season. The Blues were knocked out 5-1 on aggregate by Liverpool at the quarter-final stage last term and haven’t progressed further than that since reaching the semi-finals in 2016. Ferran Soriano made no bones about the club's expectation this season. “Further development in the Champions League will be our focus in 2018-19,” said City’s CEO in the club’s annual statement. City meet their French opponents for a first competitive fixture between the two sides, and the Ligue 1 outfit have been in indifferent form this season. Bruno Génésio’s side have won just two of their five league games this season after losing talisman Mariano to Real Madrid at the end of the transfer window. City, meanwhile, have won four and drawn one of their five games this season. Here's who our writers think should start. You can pick your own team in our selector below. Stuart Brennan It looks like Benjamin Mendy is out of the game, which is likely to mean City will retain the 4-3-3 formation they used against Fulham. That is a good excuse, if any was needed, to unleash Leroy Sane on the Champions League - he looked like a player teetering on the edge of brilliance on Saturday. The Blues should be on the front foot for most of the game, so a good attacking line-up is required - the doubt over Sergio Aguero's ankle is all that is needed to suggest Gabriel Jesus should get the nod - and Raheem Sterling should keep his place, with Riyad Mahrez yet to prove he is worth a place. Fernandinho cannot be expected to keep playing 90 minutes, but he is so important and irreplaceable that the deal might be to get games won and then rest him - he should be the fulcrum, with David Silva and Bernardo Silva pivoting off him. Aymeric Laporte warrants continued inclusion, and it would be good to see him and John Stones playing together in European competition, as City gear up for the future. Stu's XI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Laporte, Delph; Fernandinho, D. Silva, Bernardo; Sterling, Jesus, Sane Simon Bajkowski Sergio Aguero doesn't seem worth the risk after feeling a pain in his ankle during the Fulham game, and putting Gabriel Jesus front and centre should give the Brazilian a perfect opportunity to get back to his best. Riyad Mahrez could be brought back into the fold in the way Leroy Sane was on Saturday but it makes more sense to keep the German in the team after his rejuvenated performance. At the back, there seems little sense in changing too much. Providing Fabian Delph can play for the second time in five days, I'd stick with the same back five that kept a clean sheet against Fulham. Ilkay Gundogan can come in for David Silva, with Phil Foden hopefully coming on off the bench. Simon's XI: Ederson, Walker, Otamendi, Laporte, Delph, Fernandinho, Bernardo, Gundogan, Sane, Sterling, Jesus Dan O’Toole It will be a race against time for Sergio Aguero and Benjamin Mendy to be fit for the Lyon game and it might be unnecessary to rush them into playing ahead of a hectic schedule that will see City play six games in 19 days. For that, I fancy Fabian Delph and Gabriel Jesus to get the nod. Leroy Sané impressed on his return to the side against Fulham and it wouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to see fellow German Ilkay Gundogan play from the start at the Etihad. Guardiola handed starts the 27-year-old in six of City’s ten Champions League games last season. Bernardo’s form speaks for himself and he’s surely not far off being the first name on the team sheet these days. His creativity in midfielder takes a good share of the burden of responsibility off David Silva’s shoulders, who could be afforded a rest after scoring against Fulham. Dan's XI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Laporte, Delph, Fernandinho, Bernardo, Gundogan, Sterling Jesus, Sané. Select the team you want to see, here.<doc-sep>
Michael Owen is backing Manchester City to ease to resounding win over Lyon in their Champions League opener at The Etihad on Wednesday night. The defending Premier League champions will start this season’s European adventure with a home clash against Ligue 1 side Lyon. Manchester City reached the Champions League quarter-finals last season before a 5-1 loss to Premier League rivals Liverpool FC. The Citizens have made an unbeaten start to the Premier League season following four victories and one stalemate. The Premier League title holders were 3-0 winners against promoted side Fulham at the Etihad Stadium to keep the pressure on Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC. Lyon, meanwhile, dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Caen and have lost two of their opening five games in Ligue 1. Former Liverpool FC striker Owen is tipping Manchester City to make an impressive start to their Champions League campaign. “City have reached the knockout stages of the competition for the last five seasons and many believe this will be their year to win the ultimate club prize,” Owen told BetVictor. “Pep Guardiola has reached the semi-finals seven times in the last nine campaigns but has not reached the final since 2011. “Lyon were too good for Everton in the Europa League last season, but they are likely to find City a different proposition at the Etihad. I can’t see past another emphatic City home win.” Manchester City dropped points in a 1-1 draw with promoted side Wolverhampton Wanderers to lose ground on their title rivals Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC. Pep Guardiola’s side are looking to win the Champions League for the first time in their history after a series of disappointments under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini.