Olympique Lyonnais Picks - 2018-19 UEFA Champions League Lines

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Olympique Lyonnais UEFA Champions League Odds

For most of its history, Olympique Lyon was an afterthought in French football. Although the club was located in one of France’s biggest cities, it just wasn’t able to get over the hump and bounced between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 quite a few times. That all changed at the start of the 21st Century though, as Lyon proved it was a force to be reckoned with.

Lyon never won a Ligue 1 title prior to the 21st Century. They quickly became the best team in France during the 2000s though, reeling off a record seven straight league titles. It was an incredible rags to riches story that captivated the nation. Nearly all of Lyon’s players were developed in the youth club, and the club’s youth program soon became the gold standard in both France and Europe.

It didn’t take long for Lyon to have European aspirations as well. Lyon had only made it into European play six times prior to the 1990s, and the club’s best performance came in their initial entry when they reached the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Semifinals in 1964. Lyon made it to the Europa League five times in the 1990s, never getting further in the quarterfinals, yet they proved themselves in the Champions League over the next decade.

Lyon qualified for Champions League play in every year during the 2000s, and the club made it to the knockout rounds for nine years straight at one point. Unfortunately, they were often one and done at that point, but they did manage to make it to the Champions League Semifinals in 2010. That year, they beat Real Madrid and Bordeaux before getting trounced by Bayern Munich with a trip to the final on the line.

Odds on Olympique Lyonnais to win the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League: +8000

Olympique Lyonnais in European Football

Other French clubs have caught up to Olympique Lyon, but the profile of the French league has risen over the years too. The emergence of Lyon, Monaco, and Paris Saint-Germain has given France three automatic spots into the Champions League Group Stage, and Lyon was able to nab the last spot last year.

PSG ran away with the Ligue 1 crown last season, but the race for second was intense. Monaco, Lyon, and Marseille all finished within three points of each other, and Lyon nipped Marseille by a point. Lyon proved themselves to be road warriors in Ligue 1 action last year, beating four different clubs by a margin of 5-0 away from home.

Lyon continues to be one of the best clubs at developing young players. This offseason, they sold teenage sensation Willem Geubbels to Monaco for a princely sum, and they also got a substantial fee for center back Mouctar Diakhaby. Rather than spend on high-priced transfers, Lyon continues to build through its youth system. They did acquire midfielder Tanguy Ndombele from Amiens in the summer window, but he was the club’s only buy. Lyon has two excellent players in Memphis Depay and Nabil Fekir, and they will determine how far the club goes in the Champions League.

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