Lyon vs. Manchester United: Europa Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

Manchester United will play Lyon in the opening leg of their quarterfinal match at Groupama Stadium in France on Thursday night. United is still hoping to win the Europa League to conclude its terrible season on a high note.

This will be the first time these two sides have faced one other in the Europa League, despite meeting four times in the Champions League (with the Red Devils emerging victorious in 2008).

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Just days after a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, Manchester United played out a dull 0-0 draw with Manchester City. Despite Ruben Amorim's optimism, fans remain frustrated with the club's worst-ever Premier League campaign—38 points from 31 matches and seven points off the top half. European qualification via the league looks unlikely, but the Europa League remains a real chance.

United are unbeaten in this season's Europa League (W6 D4). Their latest win was a 5-2 aggregate over Real Sociedad, featuring a Bruno Fernandes hat trick. They've scored in 20 of their last 21 Europa League games and are undefeated in their previous 11 first-leg European knockout ties.

Lyon have turned their form around, winning seven of their last ten and scoring 19 goals in six of those victories. Lacazette and Cherki led a comeback win over Lille after a 4-2 loss to Strasbourg. With coach Paulo Fonseca serving a ban, assistant Jorge Maciel is on the sidelines. Lyon sits fifth in Ligue 1, two points off the top three.

They aim for their first European semi-final since 2019–20, having finished 6th in the Europa League group—three places behind United—and beating FCSB 7-1 on aggregate in the last 16. Lyon have never beaten United in Europe, drawing twice and losing their previous three against the English side.

Lyon x Manchester United Team News

Lyon winger Ernest Nuamah is out for the season with an ACL tear, and Malick Fofana is also sidelined with a knee injury. Rayan Cherki is expected to start up front alongside Almada, Lacazette, or Mikautadze. In midfield, Tessmann and Matic will feature with Werner and Tolisso, while Maitland-Niles should continue at right back with Niakhate, Mata, Tagliafico, and Vinicius.

Martinez, Diallo, Evans, and Heaven remain out for Manchester United. De Ligt and Mainoo will be assessed pre-match, while Luke Shaw returns after a long hamstring layoff. Maguire is fit, Mount could feature in midfield or attack, and Garnacho is likely to start despite recent goal struggles. Amorim may rotate between Zirkzee and Hojlund up front.

Our Predictions

Full-time draw @ 3.35 on Sky247.ng

Lyon scored in their past four matches, while Man United have played more tightly recently, scoring in only two of their last seven outings. This makes Thursday's matchup challenging to anticipate.

United have had success in the Europa League this term, so they may find a way to claim at least a share of the spoils to keep the tie nicely poised ahead of the second leg at Old Trafford. On the other hand, Lyon is currently on a better run of form and has excelled, particularly on home soil. However, they have looked vulnerable at times defensively.

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