Manchester United will aim to qualify for the UEFA Europa League semi-finals when they welcome Lyon to Old Trafford for the quarter-final second leg on Thursday.
The curtains will fall on the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday night, with all four matches coming our way simultaneously, including Manchester United vs Lyon at Old Trafford.
Manchester United reached the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals by coming from behind to beat Real Sociedad in the round of 16. Before that, the Red Devils finished third in the standings in the opening phase. However, Ruben Amorim’s men have been dreadful in domestic football, and they come into this game on the back of a 4-1 drubbing against Newcastle United.
On the other hand, Lyon continued the dash for UEFA Champions League qualification by clinching a 1-0 win over Auxerre, rising to fourth in the Ligue 1 standings. Meanwhile, Les Gones qualified for the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals by cruising to a 7-1 aggregate win over FCSB, having finished sixth in the opening phase.
The first leg saw Lyon come from a goal down to hold Manchester United to a 2-2 draw, with Rayan Cherki scoring the equaliser during injury time. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester United
Ruben Amorim has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Manchester United manager will be bereft of the services of as many as seven first-team players vs Lyon on Thursday.
Joshua Zirkzee is the latest absentee after picking up a season-ending hamstring injury this past weekend against Newcastle United. The Dutch attacker has joined Matthijs de Ligt (foot), Jonny Evans (muscular), Ayden Heaven (ankle), Lisandro Martinez (knee), Toby Collyer (leg), and Amad Diallo (ankle) on the sidelines.
Andre Onana will likely return between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Lyon on Thursday. The central defensive unit will feature Noussair Mazraoui, Harry Maguire, and Leny Yoro. Meanwhile, Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu are automatic picks as the wing-backs.
As for the midfield unit, Casemiro should pair up with Manuel Ugarte in the middle of the park, with the duo looking to keep things tight in the central areas. Finally, Rasmus Hojlund will lead the line for Manchester United against Lyon, with Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes providing creative support.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Yoro; Dalot, Casemiro, Ugarte, Dorgu; Bruno Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund
Lyon
Unlike his counterpart in the Manchester United dugout, Paulo Fonseca has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Old Trafford. The Lyon manager will be without two first-team players on Thursday.
Malick Fofana and Ernest Nuamah remain on the sidelines due to knee injuries. Otherwise, Fonseca has a fully fit squad, although a few players are walking the suspension tightrope — Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Moussa Niakhate, Nicolas Tagliafico, Corentin Tolisso, and Alexandre Lacazette.
Lucas Perri is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Lyon lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Thursday. The backline should feature Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Clinton Mata, Moussa Nikhate, and Nicolas Tagliafico.
As for the midfield unit, Paul Akouokou will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park while receiving defensive support from Corentin Tolisso and Jordan Veretout. The duo will also provide the forward thrust from the central areas. Finally, Georges Mikautadze will spearhead the Lyon attack against Manchester United, with Rayan Cherki and Thiago Almada providing creative support.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Perri; Maitland-Niles, Mata, Niakhate, Tagliafico; Tolisso, Akouokou, Veretout; Cherki, Mikautadze, Almada
Key Stats
- Thursday’s clash will be the third time that Manchester United will face Lyon in European competition at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils winning both previous meetings (2-1 in November 2004 and 1-0 in March 2008).
- Lyon have lost only one of their last nine European games against sides from England (W4 D4), a 3-0 defeat to West Ham United during the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League.
- Manchester United have lost their two most recent home European games against teams from France (2-0 and 3-1 vs PSG in February 2019 and December 2020), having remained unbeaten across their previous 14 matches between 1965 and 2017 (W10 D4).
- Lyon are unbeaten in their last 12 away UEFA Europa League games (W9 D3) since a 1-0 defeat to Atalanta in December 2017.
- Manchester United remain unbeaten in their 11 UEFA Europa League games this season (W6 D5). The last time the Red Devils began a European campaign unbeaten across their opening 11 matches, they eventually lost 3-1 in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League final against Barcelona.
Player to Watch
Rasmus Hojlund
While Bruno Fernandes, Rayan Cherki, and Corentin Tolisso were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Rasmus Hojlund as the Player to Watch for Thursday’s UEFA Europa League clash between Manchester United and Lyon at Old Trafford.
Since the start of last season, Hojlund has recorded 12 goal contributions for Manchester United across European competition (G10, A2). Among Premier League players to have recorded ten or more in that time, only Mohamed Salah (80) and Bukayo Saka (88) have a better minutes-per goal-contribution ratio than the Danish international (96).
With Joshua Zirkzee seeing his 2024/25 campaign come to a premature end due to a hamstring injury, the onus is on the struggling Dane to deliver the goods and make his mark in the final third.
Prediction
Manchester United 2-1 Lyon
The defeat to Newcastle United would have hurt Manchester United, even though they have nothing to play for in the Premier League. Bruno Fernandes, in particular, looked devastated, and he will be the man to make the difference in the final third for the home side.
However, Lyon’s record in recent away games in the UEFA Europa League is impeccable, although they have never progressed from a tie after playing a draw in the first leg. That run should continue, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Ruben Amorim and his charges.
