Champions League 
/ Tobias Gourlay / 13 February 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Remi Garde is focused on tightening Lyon's defence
"Lyon have failed to win any of their last five Champions League knockout stage matches"
Cyprus has a team in the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time and Tobias Gourlay believes APOEL can match Lyon
Tuesday 19:45
Live on Sky Sports 4
Lyon [1.51] APOEL [8.4] draw [4.4]
Lyon
This is Lyon's ninth consecutive appearance in the last 16. The reason they are here again is December's 7-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb. The reason why they were almost not here is their failure to score in four of their other five group games.
This weekend's home defeat to Caen, who had not won on the road in Ligue 1 for three months, raises another doubt around the ability of Remi Garde's team to justify their strong favouritism for this match.
APOEL
Strong defence helped APOEL become the first Cypriot team to reach the last 16. They lost only one of their six games and took a point from each of their three away matches.
At the outset of any game, it seems Ivan Jovanovic's initial priority is a clean sheet: sit tight until half-time; identify a weakness in the opponents' defence; and strike in the second half. Forty-four of the team's 58 goals in all competitions this season have come after the half-time break. In this light, the Lyon/draw double-result has some appeal at [21.0].
Match Odds
Lyon have failed to win any of their last five Champions League knockout stage matches. The opposition in those games - Bayern Munich, Bordeaux and Real Madrid - have bigger reputations than APOEL, but [1.5] still looks a little short.
Over/Under Goals
All three group games at the Stade de Gerland stayed Under 2.5 Goals, which is a [1.85] favourite for this match. Six of Lyon's last eight knockout-stage matches here have been similarly low-scoring and so were all three of APOEL's group games.
In the light of that 7-1 result, the market seems to be overly concerned by a heavy Lyon win and [1.85] is a generous offer.
Correct Score
Two of APOEL's three group-stage draws finished 1-1. It's a scoreline that demands consideration ahead of this match, but 0-0 at the longer price of [11.5] offers value too.
Lyon have been shut out in five of their last seven Champions League games, while APOEL scored fewer goals, took fewer shots or earned fewer corners during the group stage than anyone else who made it to the last 16.
Cover both results and, if either of them wins, you will be handsomely rewarded.
Recommended Bets: Lay Lyon @ [1.52]; back 0-0 @ [11.5] & 1-1 @ [9.8] Correct Scores
*Follow Tobias on Twitter: @tobiasgourlay
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