One week after their dramatic 2-2 draw in France, Manchester United and Olympique Lyon will reconvene at Old Trafford for their Europa League quarter-final tie decider.
Andre Onana’s double whammy scuppered United’s hopes of leaving France with one foot in the semi-finals, so he’ll be keen to redeem himself in front of the Stretford End on Thursday night.
United and Lyon will have one eye on the tournament’s showpiece at the Estadio de San Memes, and fans have already started buying UEFA Europa League final tickets on Seatsnet.com.
Whichever team comes out on top at the Theatre of Dreams will set up a last-four date with either Rangers or Athletic Bilbao, so both sides have plenty to fight for in this high-stakes duel.
Match Preview
United hit a new low last week when Onana was made to eat his words after an awful performance that left Ruben Amorim’s side red-faced.
Before the game, Onana was embroiled in a war of words with former United midfielder Nemanja Matic, who labelled the Cameroonian as the worst goalkeeper in the club’s history.
He did little to hit back at those claims, as he was at fault for two goals that helped Lyon rescue a last-gasp draw in the first leg.
Joshua Zirkzee thought he had won the game for United when he headed home a pinpoint cross from Bruno Fernandes in the 88th minute.
But Amorim’s side were undone by Onana, whose late fumble allowed the highly sought-after Rayan Cherki to pull Lyon off the canvas with a composed finish deep into stoppage time.
Things went from bad to worse for Amorim’s side as they slumped to a 4-1 defeat against Newcastle United in the Premier League.
Having now lost 14 league games this season, United will finish with their lowest points total in the Premier League era.
After picking up just 38 points from 32 games, United are languishing in 14th place, but they’re in danger of ending the season as low as 17th, with just three points separating them from West Ham United.
United are also 10 points off the top eight and 17 adrift of the top five, so whatever hopes they have of playing in the Champions League hinges on going all the way in the Europa League.
The first leg result gave United a clear picture of what to expect from the French side on Thursday, but luckily for Amorim and his troops, history is on their side.
The Red Devils have yet to suffer defeat in this season’s tournament (W6, D5) and are unbeaten in five games against Lyon.
Nevertheless, United can’t afford to rest on their laurels or underestimate Thursday’s opponents, considering they have lost their last two games against French clubs at Old Trafford.
Last week’s comeback on home turf would have given Lyon a massive morale boost as they hunt their first-ever major European trophy.
The French side are also looking to reach the semi-final of a European competition for the first time since their 2019/20 Champions League run.
They had an excellent build-up to Thursday’s tie decider, comfortably dispatching Auxerre 3-1 in their Ligue 1 meeting over the weekend.
Cherki, Georges Mikautadze, and Alexandre Lacazette were on the score sheet as Lyon strengthened their grip on fourth place in the Ligue 1 table, just two points behind second-placed AS Monaco.
Lyon have won seven of their last nine games in all competitions since early March, plundering 24 goals during that stretch.
The French side are unbeaten in their last 12 Europa League games on the road (W9, D3) – a run that started after losing against Atalanta in December 2017.
They also have a decent record against English teams.
They’ve lost just one of their last nine away games against English sides in European competitions, going down 3-0 against West Ham United back in 2022.
Lyon have plenty to be optimistic about, but they’ll need to pull off an unprecedented feat against United to advance to the semi-finals.
Not only have they never beaten United, but they’ve failed to advance from all nine previous European knockout ties after sharing the spoils in the first leg at home.
Key Stats
United and Lyon are set to meet for the third time at Old Trafford in European competition.
The Red Devils have come out on top in their two previous home encounters against the French side, winning 2-1 in 2004 and 1-0 in 2008.
However, United’s recent record against French opponents at home has been shaky. They’ve lost their last two European fixtures at Old Trafford to Paris Saint-Germain, falling 2-0 in 2019 and 3-1 in 2020.
This dip came after an impressive unbeaten run of 14 home matches against French clubs from 1965 to 2017.
United are heading to the Europa League semi-finals unbeaten.
The last time they started a European campaign this strongly, they reached the Champions League final in 2011 but lost 3-1 to Barcelona.
Lyon have a decent record against English sides and are also unbeaten in 12 consecutive Europa League games since 2017.
Team News
United will be without Joshua Zirkzee, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season after picking up a hamstring injury in the damning defeat to Newcastle.
He joins Matthijs de Ligt, Amad Diallo, Ayden Heaven, Lisandro Martinez, Jonny Evans, and highly rated academy talent Toby Collyer in the treatment room.
As for Lyon, Ernest Nuamah has been ruled out for the rest of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
There are also question marks surrounding Malick Fofana’s availability as he recovers from a knee issue.
Cherki has thrived in Nuamah’s absence, and the dazzling Frenchman is a huge reason why Europa League tickets for Thursday’s contest will be in high demand on Seatsnet.com.
He has chipped in with three goals and eight assists in 11 Europa League games so far, so all eyes will be on the Frenchman at Old Trafford.
Manchester United potential starting line-up:
(3-4-2-1): Andre Onana; Noussair Mazraoui, Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro; Diogo Dalot, Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro, Patrick Dorgu; Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho; Rasmus Hojlund.
Lyon possible starting line-up:
(4-3-1-2): Lucas Perri; Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Clinton Mata, Moussa Niakhate, Nicolas Tagliafico; Jordan Vererout, Corentin Tolisso, Paul Akouokou; Thiago Almada; Rayan Cherki, Georges Mikautadze.
