There's nothing much that stood out from the European leagues this week-end. In Spain, Barcelona labored to beat Athletico Bilbao. Whether Barcelona are lacking some cutting edge at the moment is open to debate. They still control the ball and the tempo of all their games. Their percentage of possession is still staggering. It's just they haven't been rampant in finding the net in their last 3 games as they usually do. In my opinion, their lack of goalscoring is just a temporary thing. If not, then Real Madrid will surely try to exploit any opportunity to close the gap.
Speaking of Madrid, the fact that Mourinho is stating that his team is back in form, is something to take note of. On Tuesday, they visit Lyon in their Champions League match-up. I don't recall Mourinho ever losing to french opposition but Lyon has had Madrid's number in past encounters. I expect a cautionary approach from the Spanish team, who will make sure to avoid defeat so as to decide the tie at the Bernabeu. Lyon is certainly not as strong as in previous seasons, but they can still inflict damage. The game will be more of a mental challenge for Madrid to overcome a stubborn team that has stopped their progress in the last few years of the competition. If you really fancy a punt, then a draw-no-bet on Madrid seems the more reasonable way to go, but to me the game is really too close to call.
No comments:
Post a Comment