Manchester United, the only unbeaten team across both the UEFA Champions League and Europa League this season, face a decisive night as they welcome Lyon to Old Trafford for the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie.
Match Details
Fixture: Manchester United vs Lyon
Competition: UEFA Europa League – Knockout Phase (Quarter-Final, 2nd Leg)
First Leg Result: Manchester United 2-2 Lyon
Date: Tuesday, Thursday, 17 April 2025
Kick-off Time: 19:00 UTC (20:00 BST local time)
/ 21:00 (CET) / 15:00 PM (ET)
Venue: Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, England
Match Preview
Despite their European resilience, the Red Devils continue to struggle domestically, sitting a lowly 14th in the Premier League with 38 points from 32 matches. Ruben Amorim’s men could only muster a 2-2 draw in the first leg at the Groupama Stadium, where Andre Onana’s error-strewn performance drew criticism. His replacement, Altay Bayindir, failed to fare any better in a 4-1 league defeat to Newcastle at the weekend—leaving United with major questions to answer between the sticks.
Injured players at Manchester United include: Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee, Amad Diallo, Jonny Evans, Lisandro Martinez. While Lyon will be without Malick Fofana, Ernest Nuamah, Paul Akouokou (doubt)
Man United – Possible Starting XI (3-4-2-1): Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Yoro; Dalot, Ugarte, Casemiro, Dorgu; Garnacho, Fernandes; Højlund
Lyon – Possible Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Perri; Tagliafico, Niakhaté, Mata, Maitland-Niles; Veretout, Tessmann; Almada, Tolisso, Cherki; Mikautadze.
Lyon’s 3-1 victory away at Auxerre on Sunday lifted them to fourth in Ligue 1, and they arrive in Manchester having suffered just one defeat in their last 9 games.
Meanwhile, United’s record at home provides a glimmer of hope; they’ve lost only one of their last six matches at Old Trafford. However, Lyon’s solid away form, combined with United’s goalkeeper concerns, means the French outfit have every reason to believe they can silence the Theatre of Dreams.
With European qualification for next season hinging entirely on winning the Europa League, the pressure is firmly on United. But Lyon have the firepower and form to turn the tie in their favour—and potentially send the English giants crashing out on home soil.
We say: Inter Manchester United 1-2 Lyon
