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Did Lyon win the first meeting between these sides or did Liverpool lose it? Apparently most observers on the British side of the channel feel that the absence of Fernando Torres, the departure of Steven Gerrard after 25 minutes, and shoddy defending in the final 20 minutes handed the French side a 2-1 victory on a plate.

They may have a point but even so, I feel Lyon would be good enough to get a point at the very least against a full-strength Liverpool at Stade de Gerland. Given that Gerrard is out, the home side's favoritism is fully justified. Lyon are +140, Liverpool +230 and the draw +250.

Lyon are a tempting bet, but I hesitate for two reasons. Firstly, they don't need to win. Secondly, we've seen Liverpool thrive in these kinds of situations before. Remember Olympiakos? Can Rafa Benitez, the great European plotter, really guide Liverpool to the brink of elimination with two games to go?

The draw is the value pick, although I'd be surprised if the game finished 0-0 (+950). Lyon's manager rebuilt the side with such a sharp attacking edge over the summer that Liverpool's shaky defense will struggle to hold out against the likes of Bafetimbi Gomis, Lisandro Lopez and Michel Bastos.

Any of the aforementioned trio would be worth considering in the anytime goalscorer market at prices between +200 and +350 but we saw the depth of quality in Lyon's squad when defensive midfielder Max Gonalons and Argentina attacking midfielder Cesar Delgado scored after coming off the bench in the first game, so there are plenty of longer-priced alternatives worth an interest.

We backed Miralem Pjanic in the first game, and I still like him at +500, but I'm going to split my stakes to involve Ederson (+350). The Brazilian playmaker has spent most of the season in the shadows but is a graceful playmaker who scored against Nice a fortnight ago and will be dangerous if he gets on.