A week after their thrilling 2-2 draw in France, Manchester United and Lyon are set to face off again, this time at Old Trafford, for the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday night.
Whoever comes out on top over the two legs will move on to face either Rangers or Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals, kicking off in early May.
Last week's build-up was already spicy, with Andre Onana getting into a public spat with former teammate Nemanja Matic—and things didn’t get much better for the United goalkeeper once the game kicked off. Onana was directly involved in both of Lyon’s goals, the second coming deep into stoppage time when Rayan Cherki pounced on a spilled ball to snatch a dramatic equaliser.
Joshua Zirkzee had looked like the hero for United, nodding home what seemed like the winner in the 88th minute, but Cherki had the final say in the 95th.
Things went from bad to worse for United at the weekend. They were thrashed 4-1 by Newcastle in the Premier League, yet another disappointing outing in a season full of them. It was their 14th league loss, confirming that this will be their lowest points total in the Premier League era.
Currently sitting 14th in the table with just 38 points from 32 games, United could finish as low as 17th if things don’t improve. Any hopes of qualifying for Europe through the league are pretty much gone—they’re 10 points off the top eight and a huge 17 behind the top five.
That makes this Europa League campaign their last shot at saving the season. Winning it would secure a Champions League spot for next year, so Thursday’s game is make-or-break. The good news? United are still unbeaten in this season’s competition (6 wins, 5 draws), and they’ve never lost to Lyon in five previous meetings (2 wins, 3 draws). The bad? Their last two home games against French sides—both against PSG—ended in defeat.
As for Lyon, they’re dreaming of their first major European title and a first semi-final appearance since 2020. After their comeback in the first leg, they followed it up with a confident 3-1 win away to Auxerre in Ligue 1, with Cherki, Mikautadze, and Lacazette all on the scoresheet.
That victory keeps them fourth in Ligue 1 and just a point behind Marseille, who currently occupy the final automatic Champions League spot.
Lyon are flying at the moment—seven wins in their last nine games, scoring 24 goals along the way. They’re also unbeaten in their last 12 Europa League away games (9 wins, 3 draws), a run stretching back to 2017.
They’ve got a solid track record on English soil too, losing only once in their last nine away games against Premier League teams in Europe. However, they've never beaten United in five tries and have lost both times they’ve played at Old Trafford.
History also isn’t on their side when it comes to knockout ties: Lyon have never advanced after drawing the first leg at home—0 for 9 in those scenarios.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Manchester United will be without Joshua Zirkzee for the foreseeable future after the striker picked up a hamstring injury in the loss to Newcastle. Manager Ruben Amorim confirmed Zirkzee is expected to be “out for some games.”
He now joins a growing list of absentees that includes Matthijs de Ligt, Amad Diallo, Ayden Heaven (all with ankle issues), Lisandro Martinez (knee), Jonny Evans (back), and Toby Collyer (leg).
With teenage talent Chido Obi-Martin ineligible for European competition, Rasmus Højlund is likely to lead the line as United’s only fit, natural striker. He’s expected to be supported in attack by captain Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho, who finally ended his 27-game goal drought with a goal against Newcastle.
Amorim chose to leave Andre Onana out of the squad last weekend, saying the goalkeeper needed time to “disconnect a little” after a rough patch. But Onana is set to return to the starting XI on Thursday, replacing Altay Bayındır.
Defensively, Harry Maguire is in line to return at centre-back, with Patrick Dorgu also expected to come back in at left wing-back. In midfield, Casemiro and Mason Mount are both pushing for a starting spot alongside Manuel Ugarte.
On the Lyon side, they’ve been hit by the season-ending ACL injury to winger Ernest Nuamah, while Malick Fofana is also out with a knee issue.
Rayan Cherki has stepped up impressively in Nuamah’s absence, having been involved in 11 goals (3 goals, 8 assists) in as many Europa League appearances this season. He’s expected to start in attack alongside Thiago Almada and either Alexandre Lacazette or Georges Mikautadze.
Former United midfielder Nemanja Matic may drop out for Jordan Veretout, with Paul Akouokou also in contention to return in central midfield. At the back, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Clinton Mata, and Nicolas Tagliafico are all likely to be restored to the starting lineup.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Yoro; Dalot, Ugarte, Casemiro, Dorgu; Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Perri; Maitland-Niles, Mata, Niakhate, Tagliafico; Vererout, Tolisso, Akouokou; Almada; Cherki, Mikautadze
EXPERT PREDICTION
Manchester United 2-1 Lyon
