Manchester City vs Lyon: 5 key player battles | UEFA Champions League 2019-20

#3: Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City) vs Memphis Depay (Lyon)

Aymeric Laporte (left) and Depay's battle may decide how well Lyon fare in the final third against Manchester City.

Memphis Depay is Lyon's top threat up front and has been sharp in front of goal this season. He has scored six goals in the Champions League in as many appearances, including the cheeky Panenka penalty against Juventus.

🇳🇱 Lyon hero Memphis Depay is the first Dutchman to score at least 6 UCL goals in a single campaign since Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2006/07 👉🦁👈 #UCL pic.twitter.com/qVbceteAj4

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 7, 2020

Aymeric Laporte has finally recovered from a long-term injury that virtually kept him out of Manchester City's Premier League campaign this season. He will now be looking to make up for all the missed games with a solid performance in the Champions League quarter-final against Lyon.

Laporte will likely line up on the left of Fernandinho in central defence and face Memphis who will probably start on the right side of Lyon’s central strikers. So this will be an exciting battle to look out for between two highly talented players.

Laporte is an excellent ball-playing defender and completed 92.5% of all his passes in all competitions this season, but he tends to struggle against pacey strikers. He mostly relies on his reading of the game to steal the ball from an attacker as tackling is not one of his strongest suits.

Depay is a highly skilled striker who likes to dribble and cut inside. He is very efficient at layoffs but lacks the physical strength to cause any problems for centre-halves. tThus to get the better of Laporte, Depay will need to make the most of his quick feet and speed.

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#2: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City) vs Marcelo (Lyon)

Manchester City v Real Madrid - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Second Leg

In attack, no players have been more crucial to Manchester City this season than Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus. Though Sterling has been their top scorer this season, Jesus is likely to be a key player against Lyon who operate with a strong three-man defence.

Jesus has scored six goals in the Champions League, the same Sterling has managed.

For a striker, the Brazilian generated an impressive 2.1 key passes per 90 and completed 86.4% of his passes. He also showed good strength in the final third, winning 2.6 aerial duels a game. This season, he has impressed particularly with his efficient high-intensity pressing.

Jesus will be up against a fellow countryman in Marcelo in the quarter-final fixture. The 33-year-old Lyon player has been a rock at the back for Les Gones. Across all competitions this season, he has won a whopping 3.7 aerial duels, making 1.4 tackles and 4.2 clearances per 90.

Both the players have had impressive outings in their last games in the competition. Jesus scored the winner against Real Madrid, and Marcelo made a heroic last-ditch tackle to deny Bernardeschi from scoring a goal of the season contender.

It will be an interesting battle between the two compatriots, in which Jesus' energy and skill will be pitted against Marcelo's experience and physical presence.

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#1: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) vs Bruno Guimaraes (Lyon)

Kevin De Bruyne (right) has assisted a lot of Raheem Sterling's goals this season.

Manchester City and Lyon are two sides that love to dominate possession, and when you enjoy more possession than your opponent, the midfield likely plays a key role in the gameplan.

Manchester City had the most possession in the Premier League this season, while Lyon were only behind Ligue 1 champions PSG in their league in the same category. Both sides rely heavily on their midfielders to do the heavy lifting on the pitch and like to dominate the middle of the park.

Kevin De Bruyne has been the best midfielder at the Etihad Stadium by a mile this season, bagging 15 goals and 22 assists across all competitions. He displayed his unbelievable vision in the Premier League this term and impressed with his work-rate as well.

Kevin De Bruyne leads the Premier League in:✅ Assists✅ Goals and assists combined✅ Chances created✅ Big chances createdSerious talent 😳 pic.twitter.com/9io7Ml3DFK

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 24, 2020

However, against Lyon, De Bryune will have to deal with the French team's gritty defensive midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.

Despite just seven appearances across all competitions, Guimaraes has emerged as a key cog in the Lyon wheel because of his impressive defensive prowess. He usually starts just ahead of the team's three-man defence and is tasked with screening out danger, much like Casemiro.

Guimaraes has shown commendable ball-winning abilities in the middle of the pitch. Though he is weak in aerial duels, against Manchester City's De Bruyne, he will have to play to his strengths - tackling and recycling possession.

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