Lyon vs Manchester United Europa League preview: where to watch, predicted line-ups, team news

Thursday, April 10, 2025

Where to watch, predicted line-ups, team news for the UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg.

Manchester United in training ahead of Thursday's match Getty Images

Manchester United travel to face Lyon in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie.

Match at a glance

When: Thursday 10 April (21:00 CET)
Where: OL Stadium, Décines
What: Europa League quarter-final first leg
Next: Quarter-final second leg, Thursday 17 April (21:00 CET)
How to follow: Build-up and live coverage can be found here

Where to watch the game on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Europa League broadcast partner(s) here.

What do you need to know?

Lyon and Manchester United are preparing to go head-to-head for the fifth time following Champions League meetings in 2004 and 2008, which yielded two wins for United and two draws. There is little to separate the two sides on this occasion, with both teams possessing an abundant mix of young talent along with more experienced stars.

OL midfielder Nemanja Matić is set to face his former club, with the Serbia international having made 189 appearances for United between 2017 and 2022, while he will also know Red Devils coach Ruben Amorim well since the pair were Benfica team-mates in 2011/12 and 2013/14.

Highlights: Man Utd 4-1 Real Sociedad

Possible line-ups

Lyon: Perri; Maitland-Niles, Mata, Niakhaté, Tagliafico; Tessman, Matić; Cherki, Tolisso, Almada; Mikautadze
Doubtful: none
Out: Fofana (knee), Nuamah (knee)
Misses next match if booked: Lacazette, Maitland-Niles, Niakhaté, Tolisso

Manchester United: Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Yoro; Dalot, Ugarte, Eriksen, Dorgu; Fernandes, Zirkzee, Højlund
Doubtful: Toby Collyer (leg), Mainoo (calf)
Out: Amad (ankle), De Ligt (foot), Evans (muscular), Heaven (unspecified), Martínez (knee)
Misses next match if booked: Casemiro, De Ligt

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Form guide

Lyon

Form: WLWWWW
Latest: Lyon 2-1 Lille, Ligue 1, 05/04

Manchester United

Form: DLWWDD
Latest: Manchester United 0-0 Manchester City, Premier League, 06/04

Form includes all competitive games in the 2024/25 season; the most recent result is listed first. For statistical purposes, penalty shoot-outs do not count towards results.

Nemanja Matić: 'It's a special game'

Expert prediction

Alex Clementson, match reporter: With 23 goals in ten games in this season's Europa League, Lyon have succeeded in displaying their kaleidoscopic palette of attacking talents. When the likes of Rayan Cherki and Georges Mikautadze are on song, Paulo Fonseca's men have the firepower to cause problems for the most stoic of defences. With Amorim having shored up some of Man Utd’s structural issues of late, Thursday’s tie could come down to the finest of margins.

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What the coaches say

Paulo Fonseca, Lyon coach: "I'm happy that my players want [to win the Europa League], but I have to be more level-headed. We want to win, but we're up against one of the best teams in the world. We believe in ourselves, in our ability, in our players. We will play to win. Confidence is high in the squad. I think my team is ready."

Ruben Amorim, Man Utd manager: "Lyon are more physical, bigger and faster than [round of 16 opponents] Real Sociedad. Since Fonseca arrived they have won most of their matches, scoring more goals and conceding fewer. They play a possession-based game and it will be a different challenge for us. I see things in a positive way. The first one [aim] is to win a title, a European title. It would be nice for our confidence."