‘Greedy’ Bayern wary of City-slayers Lyon at Champions League semi-finals

Corentin Tolisso says treble-chasing Bayern Munich should be wary of his former club Lyon in Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final as the “greedy” Bavarians look to build on their demolition of Barcelona.

“From a German point of view, perhaps Lyon’s the least known team. But against Manchester City, we all saw what this team is capable of,” warned France midfielder Tolisso, who joined Bayern from Lyon in 2017.

“We will never underestimate them. When the big games come up, Lyon is always there.

“No team can reach the semi-finals by chance,” added the 2018 World Cup winner, who is likely to start on the bench on Wednesday.

Two second-half goals by substitute Moussa Dembele helped Lyon dump Pep Guardiola’s City out of the Champions League and Bayern have no intention of following suit.

In the wake of their stunning 8-2 thrashing of Barcelona in the quarter-finals, there is an air of determination in the Bayern camp.

Defender Jerome Boateng has compared the current squad to the 2013 outfit who landed the first treble of Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League titles in the club’s history.

“To be honest, I noticed from day one that something was up,” remembers Boateng of the 2013 squad.

“That was our big goal for the season.

“We played better in the Champions League from the start than we might have done in the Bundesliga.

“We were extremely greedy all the time.”

The current crop of Bayern stars has the same insatiable appetite, earning the nickname ‘FC Never Satisfied’ by the German media.

They are certainly goal hungry.

Bayern’s average of 4.33 goals per game is a new Champions League record.

They have scored 39 goals in nine European games, including a 7-2 drubbing of Tottenham and a 6-0 romp at Red Star Belgrade.

Robert Lewandowski is the competition’s top scorer with 14 goals — three short of Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2013-14 record for a Champions League season.

However, nothing is being taken for granted against Lyon.

“The next game is always the most difficult,” said Boateng despite Bayern winning their last 20 games. The thrashing of Barcelona now counts for “nothing. Our opponent is not standing where he is for nothing,” he added.

Coach Hansi Flick should have right-back Benjamin Pavard fit again after injury.

Aouar gives Lyon reason to believe: In Houssem Aouar, Lyon have a player who is both a symbol of their success at bringing through gifted young talent and a reason why the French side can hope to pull off another Champions League sensation.

According to statisticians Opta, only Kylian Mbappe and Riyad Mahrez have given more assists than Aouar since the start of last season in the Champions League.

Yet his game against City was about much more than that. For all the opposition’s expensive talent, he ran the midfield.

It is little wonder he has been linked with a move to City, while not so long ago it was Barcelona who were reportedly his biggest admirers.

Aouar has been at Lyon since he was a little boy, signing for his hometown team aged 11 and quickly wowing those who brought him through the ranks.

“He was always getting moved up to play with a higher age group because his potential was so great,” his former youth coach, Armand Garrido, told AFP in Lyon. This may be the year that Aouar, not yet capped at full international level by France, moves on. He has three years left on his contract and his value is sky high.

Agencies