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Europa League Preview: Lyon welcome Man U
Off the back of a brilliant win over LOSC Lille, Alexandre Lacazette and Olympique Lyonnais will welcome Manchester United in their Europa League quarterfinal. On the home bench, manager Paulo Fonseca will have to reckon with two key injuries, but still has no shortage of attacking options, while his opposite number, Rubén Amorim is still struggling to get to grips with his side since his arrival late last year. We take a closer look at what awaits the two Portuguese managers in our match preview.
Limited Lyon?
Getting a win over Lille, a direct rival in the race for the top four in Ligue 1 McDonald's, will have Les Gones feeling full of confidence, as will playing in front of what is always a lively atmosphere -- particularly in Europe -- at home. But to get a win to take to Manchester, Paulo Fonseca will have to make do without a trio of key players. Belgian Malick Fofana was injured on international duty, but Saturday's win came at a cost, as Ernest Nuamah has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Also unavailable will be midfielder Tanner Tessmann -- Fonseca acknowledged pre-match that his side has plenty of experience in addition to their much-ballyhooed attack, with Rayan Cherki and Thiago Almada among those going from strength to strength of late. While the pace of Fofana and Nuamah will be dearly missed, Fonseca reflected sanguinely about what the tie could turn on, saying, "We have to adapt with the players available. I am convinced that we can do well, even without them. It's true that they're fast players, who bring a lot into the depth, so our game may be a little different. But we prepared this match without them, and we prepared for it well."
Working ahead of our @EuropaLeague match this Thursday! 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/OjmSzB3guN
— Olympique Lyonnais 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@OL_English) April 8, 2025
Amorim's last best chance?
Fonseca's opposite number has rather less to worry about in the injury department. The likes of defenders Lisandro Martínez and Matthijs De Ligt, as well as attacker Amad Diallo, will be keenly felt, but Amorim is expected to name a team that's largely unchanged from this weekend's Manchester derby. Hewing to his favored 3-4-3 and using pace on the wings, he will hope to test the concentration of Lyon's players in what amounts to a contrast of styles, with Lyon favoring possession and structure.
Predicted lineups:
Olympique Lyonnais (4-2-3-1): Perri; Maitland-Niles, Mata, Niakhaté, Tagliafico; Veretout, Matic; Cherki, Tolisso, Almada; Mikautadze
Manchester United (3-4-3): Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Yoro; Dalot, Casemiro, Ugarte, Dorgu; Fernandes, Zirkzee (or Højlund), Garnacho
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