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

In Thursday night's second leg of their Europa League quarterfinal match at Old Trafford, Manchester United and Lyon will meet again after an exciting 2-2 draw in France last week.

The team with the best aggregate score will advance to May's semi-finals, where they will face either Athletic Bilbao or Rangers.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Onana's error-strewn performance in the first leg—culminating in a costly dropped ball that led to Rayan Cherki's 95th-minute equalizer—has intensified criticism of the goalkeeper, especially after a verbal spat with Nemanja Matic pre-match. Zirkzee's late strike looked to have secured a win before Onana's blunder denied United the lead going into the second leg.

That draw was followed by a dismal 4-1 Premier League defeat to Newcastle, United's 14th league loss this season. With just 38 points from 32 games and sitting 14th, their hopes of qualifying for Europe through the league are slim.

United must now rely on the Europa League for a Champions League spot. Despite losing their last two home games against the French side, they boasted a perfect record against Lyon in this competition.

Lyon, meanwhile, is flying. They beat Auxerre 3-1 last weekend and sit fourth in Ligue 1, just one point off a Champions League place. Cherki, Lacazette, and Mikautadze were all on target.

Paulo Fonseca's side are unbeaten in 12 straight Europa League away games (W9 D3) and have won seven of their last nine matches in all competitions. Though they've lost both past visits to Old Trafford, Lyon are in strong form and eyeing their first European semi-final since 2019–20.

Manchester United vs. Lyon Team News

Man Utd remains without several key players, including De Ligt, Diallo, Heaven (all ankle), Martinez (knee), Evans (back), and Collyer (leg). Zirkzee is also sidelined with a hamstring injury and is expected to miss multiple games.

With Chido Obi-Martin suspended in Europe, Rasmus Hojlund is Amorim's only natural striker. Bruno Fernandes and Garnacho—who ended his 27-game goal drought—are expected to support him in attack.

Amorim rested Onana last weekend to help him "disconnect," but he's likely to return in goal over Altay Bayindir. Casemiro, Mount, and Ugarte are set for midfield roles, while Maguire and Dorgu will likely start in defense.

Lyon has lost Ernest Nuamah for the season with an ACL tear, and Malick Fofana is also out. In Nuamah's absence, Cherki is expected to continue in the front line alongside Lacazette or Almada. Veretout may step in for Matic, with Mata, Tagliafico, and Maitland-Niles returning to bolster the defense.

Our predictions

Both Teams to Score @ 1.64 on Sky247.ng

The pressure is on Manchester United, who suffered last-gasp disappointment in France last week when they ultimately had to settle for a 2-2 draw.  Amorim's tenure at Old Trafford may be at stake in Thursday night's season-defining match.  Fans on the sidelines expect a thrilling Europa League matchup since the team has managed only one clean sheet in all competitions since the end of January.  We anticipate a repeat of the past six meetings between the two clubs since both Lyon and Lyonnais scored in their last seven matches that were played away from the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.

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