Exeter Chiefs vs Lyon
The defending champions are hot favourites for this match but Lyon showed what they are capable of when they destroyed Toulon in their last match. The Chiefs under Rob Baxter have developed into a well-oiled machine with their ball possession the best in Europe. Lyon will have their work cut out and they will need to front up in the scrums as the Chiefs rely heavily on scrum domination and using penalties to gain territory. This Chiefs team has few if any weaknesses and they have built their success on a forwards dominated routine that has worked brilliantly for them. The emergence of the Simmonds brothers and the signing of Scottish star Stuart Hogg have turned them from being a good team to a great team. Lyon have also invested heavily and signed star players like Charlie Ngatai and Josua Tuisova. They are currently 6th in the French Top 14 so this heavy recruitment drive has certainly bore fruit but the challenge Exeter pose will be nothing like the French have faced before.
TIP: Exeter has not been at full strength this season with injuries and national call ups causing disruptions but with only Jack Nowell out they have their strongest XV this season. Lyon is new to the Champions Cup knockout stage and face a baptism of fire at Sandy Park. Exeter boasts an all international front row and will be keen to get scrum domination before playing the possession game. It will be interesting to see if Chiefs take their penalty kicks as they love kicking to touch and using their excellent rolling maul to score tries. I can only see a comprehensive victory for the Chiefs. The bookies agree with me and the best odds on a Chiefs victory is 1.12. There is no money in these odds so I suggest the Chiefs on the handicap (-14.5). The best odds on this handicap are Sunbet 1.92, Supabets 1.90 and Playabets at 1.88
HEAD TO HEAD STATS
Exeter Chiefs vs Lyon
- This is the first meeting between these two teams.
Latest results for both teams
Chiefs lost their last match against Gloucester 34-18 while Lyon won their match against Toulon 54-16.
PREDICTION
This match should see the Chiefs flex their muscles against the inexperienced Lyon side. I know Lyon may have experienced players but the Champions Cup competition is a different beast. The Chiefs will no doubt stick to their tried and tested game plan and although Lyon will know what to expect they unfortunately will not be able to stop the Chiefs juggernaut. I predict an Exeter Chiefs win by more than 16 points
- Probable Starting XVs
Exeter Chiefs
15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Olly Woodburn, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ian Whitten, 11 Tom O’Flaherty, 10 Joe Simmonds (captain), 9 Jack Maunder, 8 Sam Simmonds, 7 Sam Skinner, 6 Dave Ewers, 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Jonny Gray, 3 Harry Williams, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Alec Hepburn,
Lyon
15 Clément Laporte, 14 Josua Tuisova, 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi,12 Charlie Ngatai , 11 Seru Noa Nakaitaci,10 Jonathan Wisniewski, 9 Jean Marc Doussain, 8 Alex Tulou,7 Patrick Sobela, 6 Colby Fainga’a, 5 Izack Rodda,4 Félix Lambey, 3 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 2 Mickael Ivaldi,1 Xavier Chiocci
Odds for this bet
Exeter Chiefswill be dominant and will cover the handicap (-14.5) with these odds the best being offered:
Worldsportsbetting (-14.5) 1.90
Sunbet (-14.5) 1.92
Supabets (-14.5) 1.90
Odds comparison on a Exeter Chiefs victory by more than 16 points
Worldsportsbetting (-14.5) 1.90
Sunbet (-14.5) 1.92
Supabets (-14.5) 1.90
Playabets (14.5) 1.88
Predictions and Odds in details
The defending champions have not quite shown the form from last season when they completed the double and this is the match that they will want to show the pretenders to their crown that they are still the team to beat. This match could turn ugly for Lyon especially if Exeter gets their rolling maul and scrums to fire. Exeter has developed this ruthless streak in Europe and this why I predict a runaway victory for the Chiefs. The best odds on the Exeter handicap (-14.5) are as follows: Sunbet at 1.92, Worldsportbetting has them at 1.90 while Supabets and Playabets offering 1.90 and 1.88 respectively.
Sports crazy fan that follows all major sport but the game with the oval ball is my real passion. Was an age level rugby coach and a huge supporter of the Springboks and diehard Liverpool man. I’m an experienced punter and sports writer whose predictions/tips are sure to stir up the emotions. I love the occasional wager on the underdog.
