Europe UEFA Europe League Quarterfinals

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Lyon vs Manchester United Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Lyon:
Perri; Maitland-Niles, Mata, Niakhate, Tagliafico; Tessmann, Matic; Cherki, Tolisso, Almada; Mikautadze

Manchester United:
Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Yoro; Dalot, Ugarte, Casemiro, Dorgu; Fernandes, Garnacho; Zirkzee

Lyon will welcome Manchester United in a Europe League quarterfinal's first leg tie. Both teams are far from their best in domestic competition, so this is an opportunity to secure a piece of silverware and, more important, a Champions League spot for the next season. The first match will be played in south-east France, while the reverse fixture is seven days later at Old Trafford.

Lyon finished among the top eight in the competition's league phase and, after receiving a bye through the knockout round play-offs, they faced Romanian side FCSB in the last 16. Lyon showed their class against the former European champions (at the time known as Steaua) and won both games, 3:1 in Bucharest and 4:0 at home. The players confidence is higher after a 2:1 win over Lille in Ligue 1 during the weekend. Much of the credit goes to the interim boss Jorge Maciel, who step in for suspended head coach Paulo Fonseca. Lyon have won five of the six matches coached by Maciel. I believe the club officials are little bit "confused" about the next steps - Fonseca is suspended until November following a recent confrontation with a referee, while Maciel is doing an excellent job. Too bad for him is the absence of key attackers Malick Fofana and Ernest Nuamah due to knee injuries they've suffered in the last few weeks. The absence of the mentioned duo is a huge handicap as they are both irreplaceable.

This is a "do or die" situation for Manchester United. Domestically, they sit in the bottom half of the table with just 38 points from 31 matches, seven points behind the top half of the table. What is worse, the Red Devils are without any chance for Europe. They are also out of both cup competitions and their fans are frustrated, most of them tired from waiting better times. Erik ten Hag was replaced by Rubin Amorim, but I don't see some significant improve. Amorim is desperate for success and Europa League glory is still up for grabs. To be better, Man United are still the only team in this season's competition who are yet to taste defeat, winning six of the 10 European fixtures. In the previous round they beat La Liga outfit Real Sociedad 5:2 on aggregate in the last 16, with captain Bruno Fernandes scoring a hat-trick in a 4:1 second-leg victory last month. Amorim has four unavailable players as Lisandro Martinez, Amad Diallo, Ayden Heaven and Jonny Evans are injured, while two more are rated as doubtful - Matthijs de Ligt and Kobbie Mainoo.

Lyon vs Manchester United Prediction:

Manchester United have a solid European record. The Red Devils haven't lost a match for almost two years. Last time they suffered a defeat was against Sevilla in April 2023. And I think their good run will continue. The key reason for my pick is the situation in Lyon's squad. Ernest Nuamah sustained a knee injury in the opening seven minutes of last weekend's win over Lille. He is out for the rest of the season. To be worse, Malick Fofana is also sidelined with a knee problem. Missing two key scorers is a huge handicap for Lyon.

Lyon vs Manchester United Pick: Manchester United +0.5 AH @ 1.56 with Pinnacle

 

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Tottenham vs Eintracht Frankfurt Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Tottenham:
Vicario; Pedro Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bergvall, Maddison, Bentancur; Johnson, Solanke, Son

Eintracht Frankfurt:
Kaua Santos; Kristensen, Theate, Koch, Brown; Shkiri, Larsson, Tuta; Gotze, Ekitike, Bahoya

Tottenham will host the Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt in Europa League quarterfinal on Thursday night. The Spurs are far from their best in domestic competition, so Europe League is an ideal opportunity to secure a piece of silverware as Ange Postecoglou promised he can still deliver a trophy within that two-year window. What is more important, a success in this competition brings a Champions League spot for the next season. The first match will be played in London and Tottenham must secure a victory, the higher - the better. The warm-up for this clash was successful, Tottenham beat 3:1 Southampton during the weekend. Nevertheless, this victory should not be overrated as Southampton are the worst side in the Premier League. Postecoglou has some additional issues as Dejan Kulusevski and Kevin Danso are out injured. The duo could potentially remain out of both legs of this tie and that is a big handicap. Romanian defender Radu Dragusin will miss the rest of the season with an ACL tear. Timo Werner is not registered in Spurs' Europa League squad. On the positive note, Richarlison has recovered from injury, while Rodrigo Bentancur is back from the suspension.

Frankfurt are very familiar with Europe League, they even won the competition in 2022. More important, they have an army of loyal fans. Barcelona players are still remembering their "invasion" to Camp Nou the same year, when the majority of the spectators were Frankfurt fans who gave a "small fortune" to secure tickets. Home fans were unable to resist to the offers made by German fans. And yet, not a single incident from their side. Eintracht will try to repeat the success, but it won't be easy, particularly because key player Omar Marmoush left for Manchester City in January. Frankfurt have huge issues on goalkeeping position. First-choice keeper Kevin Trapp is sidelined through injury, while second-choice Jens Grahl is ineligible to play. That means the inexperienced Kaua Santos may have to start. Oscar Hojlund, brother of Manchester United's Rasmus, and Junior Dina Ebimbe will also be unavailable as they are not registered for the competition. Finally, Ansgar Knauff and Elye Wahi are out injured, while veteran defender Timothy Chandler is a long-term injury victim. On the positive note, Croatian international Igor Matanovic is available after a two-month absence.

Tottenham vs Eintracht Frankfurt Prediction:

I expect Tottenham to win the match. They play at home and the fans will create a good atmosphere. The Spurs know this is their only opportunity for silverware, so I expect each player to give his maximum. However, the key reason for my pick is connect with Frankfurt. The guests have big problem with goalkeepers. As I wrote above, the first-choice keeper Kevin Trapp is sidelined through injury, while second-choice Jens Grahl is ineligible to play. That means the inexperienced Kaua Santos may have to start. Finally, they are not strong as previously, following Marmoush's departure in particular.

Tottenham vs Eintracht Frankfurt Pick: Tottenham to win @ 1.79 with Pinnacle