Lyon v Crystal Palace: Europa League preview, predicted line-ups and team news
Lyon and Crystal Palace both won their opening Europa League games. Fonseca's side host Sage's in Lyon on Thursday with injuries on both sides.
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Lyon v Crystal Palace: Europa League preview
Lyon and Crystal Palace are both unbeaten after one round of the Europa League league stage, and one of them will lose that record at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday.
This is matchday two. Palace sit second in the table on three points and a goal difference of plus four, behind only Juventus, who beat their opponents 5-0. Lyon won 2-1 away at Anderlecht on 16 September. Neither side is thinking about the play-offs yet, but a second win would put either of them in the top eight places that go straight to the last 16.
Lyon
Crystal PalaceHow they got here
Lyon started with a 2-1 win in Belgium. They scored in the first half hour, conceded in the 61-75 minute window and held on. They had 42% possession and put 10 of their 13 shots on target, so they were efficient rather than dominant.
Palace were more emphatic. They beat Lech Poznan 4-0 at home on 17 September, with a goal in each of the first three periods of the game and another late on. One of the four came from a penalty. They kept a clean sheet and had 53% possession.
The two clubs have met once before, a friendly at Selhurst Park on 5 August 2023 that Palace won 2-0.
Rotation and league pressure
Both managers have domestic games to think about. Lyon lost 2-1 to Lens in Ligue 1 in their last outing, which ended a run that included a 4-0 win over Rennes and a 3-1 win over Auxerre. Palace beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 in the Premier League in their most recent game.
Neither result forces wholesale changes. With only one league-stage game played and eight matches to go, expect both to pick strong sides and rotate only at the margins. Palace have the bigger squad depth in attack, while Lyon are short of forwards.
LyonCrystal Palace
- 5 Aug 232–0
Predicted line-ups for Lyon v Crystal Palace
Lyon lined up in a 4-3-3 in Belgium and should do so again. Palace played a 3-4-3 against Lech Poznan.
Lyon: Greif; Athekame, Mata, Kluivert, Tagliafico; Tessmann, Tolisso, Bidstrup; Duranville, Bacher, Nuamah
Crystal Palace: Benítez; Canvot, Richards, Mingueza; Mitchell, Wharton, Disasi, Chilwell; Pino, Larsen, Sarr
Where to watch Lyon v Crystal Palace: TV and online streams
Lyon v Crystal Palace kicks off at 17:45 BST on Thursday 15 October at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais. The match is shown on TNT Sports where selected, and a Yahoo Sports preview lists TNT Sports 1 as the channel. TNT Sports content is also available to stream online.
This is a single league-stage match. If level after 90 minutes, the game ends as a draw. There is no extra time or penalty shoot-out.
Stats for Lyon v Crystal Palace
- Palace have won their only league-stage game 4-0, scoring four goals and conceding none. Lyon have won 2-1 away at Anderlecht.
- Lyon averaged 1.27 expected goals and conceded 1.43 expected goals in that win, and had 42% possession.
- The only previous meeting was a friendly on 5 August 2023, which Palace won 2-0 at Selhurst Park.
- Lyon were 2-1 winners in Belgium with 10 shots on target from 13. Palace had six shots on target from 16 against Lech Poznan.