Juventus vs Lyon Champions League preview: where to watch, predicted line-ups, team news

Juventus welcome Lyon in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 on 7 August at 21:00 CET. This page will update with team news, quotes and expert analysis as kick-off approaches.

Where to watch the game on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Champions League broadcast partner(s) here.

What happened in the first leg?

Karl Toko Ekambi headed against the bar before Lucas Tousart expertly guided in Houssem Aouar's cross to give Lyon the lead they take to Turin. Paulo Dybala passed up the Bianconeri's best chance of the evening on 26 February.

Possible line-ups

Juventus: Szczęsny; Danilo, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanić, Rabiot; Cuadrado, Higuaín, Ronaldo
Out: De Sciglio (thigh), Douglas Costa (thigh)
Doubtful: Dybala (thigh)
Misses next game if booked: Matuidi
Players added to squad: Demiral
Players removed from squad: Khedira

Lyon: Lopes; Denayer, Marcelo, Marçal; Dubois, Caqueret, Guimarães, Aouar, Cornet; Depay, Dembélé
Out: none
Misses next game if booked: Marcelo, Koné
Players added to squad: Diomande, Griffiths, Wissa
Players removed from squad: Terrier, Tousart, Yanga-Mbiwa

Expert predictions

Paolo Menicucci, Juventus reporter: Juventus lost three of their last four Serie A games, but the final two defeats came after they had secured their ninth consecutive Scudetto, with players' minds likely on Lyon already. Maurizio Sarri’s side's defence is a concern (Juve conceded 40 goals in Serie A this season), as is Paulo Dybala’s recent injury, which has left the Argentinian a major doubt for the game. Cristiano Ronaldo, however, is like a life insurance policy when it comes to the UEFA Champions League knockout stage.

David Crossan, Lyon reporter: Having lost on penalties after matching Paris Saint-Germain in the French League Cup final, Lyon's hopes of European football next season now depend on them winning the Champions League. Being solid defensively will be the key to advancing to the quarters, while captain Memphis Depay will hope to signal his full recovery from a long-term knee injury by helping OL down the Italian champions. It will not be easy.

Latest results

Juventus
Form: LLWLW (all competitions, most recent first)
Where they finished: 1st in Serie A

Lyon
Form: DLLWW
Where they finished: 7th in Ligue 1, League Cup runners-up

What the coaches say

Maurizio Sarri speaking on the eve of the Lyon gameJuventus FC via Getty Images

Maurizio Sarri, Juventus coach: "It will take a great performance, Lyon have evolved a lot and are solid in defence. They defend with intensity and effectiveness. The first-leg result allows them to approach the game according to those characteristics. It will be a very difficult match, but not impossible. [Cristiano Ronaldo] is training in the right way, yesterday he scored an extraordinary goal in training. He played a lot of games in a short time, he rested a little and now he has trained with intensity and vigour. We will try until tomorrow morning to get Paulo Dybala ready, right now he is working with our medical staff. Probably Juan Cuadrado will start, we will see if it is in a more defensive or attacking role."

Rudi Garcia, Lyon coach: "We're very happy to be playing in this match and very motivated by the prospect of reaching the quarter-finals. Juventus have a lot of great players. We come here with a lot of humility, but also a lot of ambition. We have quickly digested the [League Cup final] defeat against PSG, and moved our focus to this game. Bruno Guimarães is a good player. He hasn't been with us long but he's already given us a lot."

Previous meetings

• This is the sides' fifth match, all in the last six years. Juve won three of the first four fixtures, including a pair of 1-0 victories in France.

• The teams first met in the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League quarter-finals, Leonardo Bonucci scoring the only goal of the first leg at Lyon's former home, the Stade de Gerland, five minutes from time. Andrea Pirlo increased Juve's aggregate advantage four minutes into the Turin return and, although Jimmy Briand's 18th-minute strike gave OL hope, a Samuel Umtiti own goal midway through the second half sealed Juventus's place in the semi-finals.

• In the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League group stage, Juventus again secured a narrow victory in France, Juan Cuadrado getting the only goal with 14 minutes left at the OL Stadium on Matchday 3. The Bianconeri looked set for another narrow victory at the Juventus Stadium thanks to Gonzalo Higuaín's 13th-minute penalty, but Corentin Tolisso earned Lyon a point with five minutes left.

• Juve went on to finish first in Group H, third-placed Lyon moving into the UEFA Europa League, where they reached the semi-finals.

Form guide

Juventus
• The Bianconeri won five of their six Group D games to finish six points clear at the top. They dropped points only in their first fixture, Maurizio Sarri's first European game as Juventus coach, being pegged back by two late Atlético Madrid goals in a 2-2 draw in Spain, but went on to beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in Italy and Lokomotiv Moskva 2-1 home and away. A 1-0 home win against Atlético and a 2-0 success at Leverkusen completed the section.

• The loss at Lyon made it four defeats in Juve's last 12 UEFA Champions League matches (W6 D2).

• Gianluigi Buffon's appearance in Leverkusen made him the second oldest player to feature in the UEFA Champions League, aged 41 years 317 days. The only older participant is another Italian goalkeeper, Marco Ballotta, who played for Lazio against Real Madrid in December 2007 aged 43 years 252 days.

• This is Juventus's 11th UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie (W7 L3); they have won the last three, producing a memorable comeback against Atlético 12 months ago (0-2 a, 3-0 h) thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's second-leg hat-trick.

• In 2018/19, under Massimiliano Allegri, Juve finished first in their group and, after turning around their last-16 tie against Atlético, drew 1-1 at Ajax in the first leg of their quarter-final only to bow out following a 2-1 home defeat. That was the Bianconeri's second defeat in Turin in last season's competition, having lost by the same scoreline against Manchester United on Matchday 4 – the only time Juventus have ever lost more than one home game in a European campaign.

• Last season's win against Atlético is Juve's only success in their last four home UEFA Champions League knockout matches (D1 L2).

• Before losing to Real Madrid in the 2017/18 quarter-final first leg (0-3), Juve were unbeaten in 27 home matches in UEFA competition (W16 D11), dating back to a 2-0 reverse against Bayern München in April 2013. They have still lost only four of their 41 European matches at the Juventus Stadium (W25 D12), although three of those defeats have come in their last nine matches.

• This is Juve's first two-legged tie against a French club since they defeated Monaco in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League semi-finals (2-0 a, 2-1 h) to make it 12 aggregate wins out of 12 against Ligue 1 opponents.

• The first leg ended Juve's eight-match unbeaten run (W6 D2) against French sides, home and away, stretching back to a 2-0 loss at Bordeaux in the 2009/10 group stage.

• The Turin team have never lost at home to French visitors, winning 11 of their 14 matches.

• Champions of Italy for a record eighth season in a row in 2018/19, this is Juve's 20th UEFA Champions League campaign.

• Winners in 1985 and 1996, Juventus have played in nine European Cup finals – losing a record seven, including all of their last five.

• Juve have won 15 of the 33 UEFA ties in which they lost the away first leg, most recently against Atlético in last season's round of 16 (0-2 a, 3-0 h). On the 15 occasions the Bianconeri have lost the away game 1-0, they have won eight ties on aggregate, although they lost the most recent, against Chelsea in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League round of 16 (2-2 h) – one of seven defeats in the last ten ties when they were beaten 1-0 away in the first leg.

• Juventus's record in six UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W3 L3:
3-0 v Ajax, 1977/78 European Champion Clubs' Cup quarter-final
1-4 v Widzew Łódź, 1980/81 UEFA Cup second round
4-2 v Argentinos Juniors, 1985 European/South American Cup final
1-3 v Real Madrid, 1986/87 European Champion Clubs' Cup second round
4-2 v Ajax, 1995/96 UEFA Champions League final
2-3 v AC Milan, 2002/03 UEFA Champions League final

Lyon 
• Lyon squeezed into the last 16 as Group G runners-up having picked up eight points from their six games, one more than both Benfica and Zenit. Away from home, OL won 2-0 at eventual section winners Leipzig before losing at Benfica (1-2) and Zenit (0-2).

• Lyon have nevertheless lost only four of their last 19 European matches (W7 D8). Away from home, it is four defeats in 12 matches (W5 D3).

• When Lyon's Rayan Cherki came on as a substitute at Zenit on Matchday 5, he became, at 16 years 102 days, the second youngest player to appear in the UEFA Champions League – after Celestine Babayaro, who was aged 16 years 87 days when he played for Anderlecht against Olympiacos in November 1994.

• Third in Ligue 1 last season, this is Lyon's 16th UEFA Champions League campaign – four more than any other French club – and fourth in five seasons.

• This is Lyon's 11th round of 16 appearance, where their aggregate record is W4 L6. Having won their first four ties, they have lost six of the last seven, the most recent win against Real Madrid in 2009/10 (1-0 h, 1-1 a).

• Les Gones were eliminated by Barcelona in last season's round of 16 (0-0 h, 1-5 a).

• Lyon have lost five of their last six away games in the round of 16, where their away record overall is W3 D2 L5. Their last away win at this stage, 1-0 at PSV Eindhoven in 2005/06, was their third in a row.

• The first leg was Lyon's first win in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds since a 1-0 first-leg victory against APOEL in February 2012; Les Gones went on to lose that last-16 tie on penalties.

• The French club's record in two-legged knockout ties against Italian clubs is W2 L5. They had suffered five straight eliminations before winning the most recent contest, against Roma in the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League round of 16 (4-2 h, 1-2 a).

• Lyon's last games against a Serie A side before this tie came against Atalanta in the 2017/18 UEFA Europa League group stage (1-1 h, 0-1 a). That 2017 home win against Roma and the first-leg defeat of Juve are their only successes in their last ten matches with Italian sides, home and away (D2 L6).

• OL are without a win in their last five games in Italy (D1 L4).

• Lyon were UEFA Champions League semi-finalists in 2010.

• Lyon's record in three UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W1 L2:
2-4 v PSV Eindhoven, 2004/05 UEFA Champions League quarter-final
3-4 v APOEL, 2011/12 UEFA Champions League round of 16
7-6 v Beşiktaş, 2016/17 UEFA Europa League quarter-final

• Lyon have won 18 of the 21 UEFA competition ties in which they have led after the first leg at home, most recently against Villarreal in the 2017/18 UEFA Europa League round of 32 (3-1 h, 1-0 a). They have won six of the seven ties in which the scoreline was 1-0, their only defeat coming on penalties against APOEL at this stage of the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League (0-1 a).

Links and trivia

• Miralem Pjanić made 90 Ligue 1 appearances for Lyon, scoring ten goals, between 2008 and 2011. He was a Metz player between 2004 and 2008.

• Buffon spent 2018/19 with Paris Saint Germain, making 17 league appearances including a 5-0 win against Lyon at the Parc des Princes on 7 October 2018.

• Blaise Matuidi (2011–17) and Adrien Rabiot (2010–19) also played for Paris.

• Matuidi also represented Troyes (2004–07) and St-Étienne (2007–11) in French football while Rabiot spent the second half of 2012/13 on loan at Toulouse.

• Higuaín was born in the French city of Brest, when his father Jorge was playing for the local club.

• Lyon coach Rudi Garcia was in charge of Roma between 2013 and 2016, when Pjanić was part of the Italian club's squad; Roma finished second in Serie A behind Juventus in each of Garcia's first two seasons.

• Have played in Italy:
Joachim Andersen (Sampdoria 2017–19)
Ciprian Tătărușanu (Fiorentina 2014–17)

• Have played together:
Rafael & Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United 2008/09)
Bertrand Traoré & Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax 2016/17)
Ciprian Tătărușanu & Federico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina 2014–17)
Ciprian Tătărușanu & Juan Cuadrado (Fiorentina 2014)
Bertrand Traoré & Juan Cuadrado (Chelsea 2015)

• International team-mates:
Anthony Lopes & Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Léo Dubois & Blaise Matuidi (France)
Kenny Tete, Memphis Depay & Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands)
Rafael & Alex Sandro, Danilo, Douglas Costa (Brazil)