Lyon welcome West Ham to Parc Olympique Lyonnais in the second leg of their Quarter-Final tie in 2021-22 UEFA Europa League.
With the tie locked at 1-1 following the first leg in East London, victory would be enough to see either team advance whilst another draw would see the tie go to extra time and potentially penalties.
Team News
Thiago Mendes is a doubt for Lyon after missing their 1-1 Ligue 1 draw at Strasbourg on Sunday after he suffered a minor injury in the first leg last week.
Maxence Caqueret (knee), Sinaly Diomande (ankle), Mathis Rayan Cherki (foot) and Lenny Pintor (knee) remain ruled out.
West Ham will be without Kurt Zouma after the French defender suffered an ankle injury in Sunday’s Premier League loss at Brentford.
Mark Noble (illness) could be available for selection but Aaron Creswell (suspension) and Angelo Ogbonna (knee) are ruled out.
Stat Attack
- Lyon drew their only previous meeting against West Ham in all competitions, having fought back for a 1-1 draw in the first leg at the London Stadium.
- West Ham are visiting Lyon for the very first time in all competitions but won their only previous away clash against French opposition in all UEFA competitions – winning 3-1 at Metz in 1999 Intertoto Cup.
- Lyon have lost just one of 11 previous home matches against English opposition in all competitions (W3, D7, L1).
- Three of Karl Toko Ekambi’s six Europa League goals for Lyon this season have been scored at home.
- No West Ham player has completed more passes in the Europa League this season than Declan Rice, who completed 377 of 409 passes.
Prediction
Having dug deep against a stubborn West Ham team in the first leg to snatch a comeback draw, Lyon certainly should come into this match full of confidence with home advantage, whilst their strong home form against English clubs will add extra motivation for this talented team.
West Ham meanwhile looked toothless and lacked attacking aggression in Sunday’s domestic defeat at Brentford, whilst their defence were broken by quick runs and passes so a huge improvement is needed if they’re to cause another cupset.
David Moyes’ Hammers though wouldn’t surprise me if they were simply saving themselves on Sunday and are prioritising this tournament as a route to Champions League football, although they will need to rediscover their aggressive imposture on the opposition and take their chances here.
I however am expecting this clash to be difficult because of Lyon’s home form but they have often drawn most of their ties against English opposition at home, which wouldn’t be a surprise here and this tie ends up decided on penalties.
Prediction: Lyon 1-1 West Ham (West Ham to win on penalties.)
Result: Lyon 0-3 West Ham (West Ham win 4-1 on aggregate!!)
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