The two sides have met four times before in the Champions League, with their last encounter dating back to 2008, when Manchester United went on to win the competition. However, this will be their first-ever meeting in the Europa League.
Five days after a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, United played out a frustrating goalless draw with Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday. It was a dull and uneventful derby, with neither team putting on a memorable performance. Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim noted that fans shouldn’t expect a repeat of the classic derbies of the past, given the current struggles of both Manchester clubs. Still, United supporters expect more from a team that Amorim insists is "improving."
With European qualification via the Premier League now out of reach, United is set to experience their worst-ever season in the league, currently sitting in 13th place with just 38 points from 31 matches, seven points adrift of the top half of the table. Despite this, the Europa League remains their best hope, and United is the only team in this season’s competition yet to lose (W6 D4). In the last 16, they triumphed over Real Sociedad with a commanding 5-2 aggregate score, thanks in no small part to captain Bruno Fernandes' stunning hat-trick in the second leg.
United’s form in the Europa League is impressive, having lost only one of their last 21 games in the competition, a 3-0 defeat to Sevilla in April 2023. Furthermore, the Red Devils have not lost any of their last 11 first-leg knockout ties in Europe since a 1-0 loss to Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League.
Lyon, on the other hand, have shown a significant turnaround after a seven-game winless streak earlier in the year. They have won seven of their last 10 matches, including six of their last seven, scoring 19 goals in that time. Their most recent victory came on Saturday when they defeated Lille 2-1, coming from behind with goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Rayan Cherki.
Lyon head coach Paulo Fonseca is still serving a nine-month ban for confronting a referee, so assistant coach Jorge Maciel is in charge for this match. Lyon currently sit fifth in Ligue 1, just two points behind the top three, with six games remaining and automatic Champions League spots still within reach.
After finishing sixth in the Europa League group stage earlier this season, three places behind United, Lyon advanced to the quarter-finals by thrashing FCSB 7-1 on aggregate in the last 16. They’re now aiming to reach the semi-finals of a major European competition for the first time since the 2019-20 Champions League.
However, Lyon will have their work cut out for them, as they’ve never beaten Manchester United in four previous encounters. In their last two home games against United, they let leads slip, drawing 2-2 in 2004 and 1-1 in 2008. Lyon’s record against English sides is poor overall, having lost each of their last three two-legged ties against Premier League opponents.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Lyon have been dealt a major injury blow ahead of Thursday’s clash, as winger Ernest Nuamah has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with an ACL injury. He sustained the injury just seven minutes into last weekend’s win over Lille. Malick Fofana is also unavailable due to a knee problem.
Nuamah’s absence means that the talented and highly sought-after Rayan Cherki will likely step into the starting lineup. Cherki has been in excellent form this season, recording nine goals and 18 assists in 36 matches, including eight assists in 10 Europa League games. He is expected to join Thiago Almada and either Alexandre Lacazette or Georges Mikautadze in the attacking trio.
In midfield, former Manchester United player Nemanja Matic is expected to partner Corentin Tolisso and Tanner Tessmann. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who joined Lyon from Arsenal, is expected to retain his place at right-back. He will be joined by Clinton Mata, Moussa Niakhate, and either Nicolas Tagliafico or Abner Vinicius in the defense.
For Manchester United, they continue to deal with a number of injury concerns. Lisandro Martinez (knee), Amad Diallo, Ayden Heaven (both ankle), and Jonny Evans (back) remain sidelined. Matthijs de Ligt (ankle) and Kobbie Mainoo (calf) will be assessed before the match, with Mainoo having recently returned to training.
Luke Shaw is available for selection after being out for four months with a persistent hamstring issue. However, Patrick Dorgu is likely to keep his place at left wing-back. Harry Maguire is fit to continue at center-back, despite coming off early in the Manchester derby last weekend.
Mason Mount is also in contention to feature, and he could be deployed in midfield or further up the pitch. Alejandro Garnacho is expected to maintain his spot in attack, although he has only scored one goal in his last 27 appearances for United. Manager Ruben Amorim will have to decide whether to stick with Rasmus Hojlund as the main striker or bring in Joshua Zirkzee for a start.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Perri; Maitland-Niles, Mata, Niakhate, Tagliafico; Tessmann, Matic; Cherki, Tolisso, Almada; Mikautadze
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Yoro; Dalot, Ugarte, Casemiro, Dorgu; Fernandes, Garnacho; Zirkzee
EXPERT PREDICTION
Lyon 0-1 Manchester United
