MU vs Lyon Prediction, 2:00 a.m. April 18: Nothing left to lose

Prediction before the match MU vs Lyon

MU's 2024/25 season in England is considered "thrown away" after the defeat to Fulham in the 5th round of the FA Cup. The Red Devils are certain to leave empty-handed in the domestic league. Before that, they were also eliminated early in the Carabao Cup. In the Premier League, MU is currently ranked 14th with 38 points. They have stayed in the league, but cannot enter the group to participate in the European Cup next season.

If nothing changes, MU will have to endure the lowest ranking in the Premier League era (started from 1992 to present). They have only one way to save this disastrous season. That is to win the European Cup Winners' Cup. This is not only a big title, but also helps the Red Devils get a shortcut to the C1 Cup next season.

In the first leg, MU had an impressive performance in France despite being doubted. They were only held to a 2-2 draw by Lyon due to a personal mistake by goalkeeper Andre Onana. Like the previous round, MU had home advantage in the second leg and they clearly had a better chance of advancing.

Onana was left out of the squad for the game against Newcastle last weekend by Ruben Amorim, but his replacement Altay Bayindir made a mistake, giving the Cameroonian a chance to return tomorrow morning. After enduring a lot of criticism, Onana will need to show his character to help United win.

In theory, the strength of the two teams is quite similar. MU is inconsistent in the Premier League, but is still unbeaten in the Cup Winners' Cup (6 wins, 5 draws). Since reaching the final of the Cup Winners' Cup in the 2010/11 season, the Red Devils have never been unbeaten for so long in European competition. The heavy defeat to Newcastle was not a disaster for MU, but they suffered a significant loss when striker Joshua Zirkzee was injured and had to miss the rest of the season.

Without Joshua Zirkzee, coach Ruben Amorim is forced to put his faith in Rasmus Hojlund, who has only scored 1 goal for MU in the past 4 months. However, Amorim and MU fans can hope for Hojlund's luck in European cups. Since last season, the Danish striker has contributed to 12 goals in European cups (scoring 10 goals, assisting 2 goals). Only Mohamed Salah (80) and Bukayo Saka (88) have a better minutes/goal ratio than Hojlund (96) among Premier League players who have scored 10 or more goals in that period.

In addition, MU still has Bruno Fernandes, who has a total of 18 assists in the European Cup C2. This is a tournament record, equal to Dries Mertens. During the recent period when MU was in a state of rapid decline, Fernandes was the one who helped them not hit rock bottom.

On the other hand, Lyon also have their own star to look forward to. Cherki has been involved in 11 goals in the Cup Winners' Cup this season (scoring 3, assisting 8). With one more assist, Cherki will surpass Diego to become the player with the most assists in a season in the Cup Winners' Cup.

Unlike MU, Lyon is playing well in Ligue 1. Last week, they easily beat Auxerre 3-1 and maintained their 4th place in the rankings. Lyon is only 1 point behind the top 3 and still has a chance to qualify for the Champions League next season. This could affect the outcome of tonight's match. MU has nothing to lose and is supported by tens of thousands of fans, while Lyon clearly still has a way back.

Head-to-head history, form MU vs Lyon

Man Utd have won both of their previous home games against Lyon at Old Trafford (2-1 in 2004 and 1-0 in 2008). However, they have lost their last two home games against French sides (both to PSG). Lyon, meanwhile, have lost just one of their last nine games against English sides, showing they are not to be trifled with.

Supercomputer predicts MU vs Lyon result

Based on form and home advantage, Manchester United are considered the favorites. The Opta supercomputer predicts that Man Utd have a 47.9% chance of winning in 90 minutes, while Lyon have a 26.1% chance and the draw rate is 26.0%.

Expected lineup MU vs Lyon

MU: Onana; Mazraoui, Yoro, Maguire; Dalot, Casemiro, Mainoo, Shaw; Fernandes; Hojlund, Rashford.

Lyon: Lopes; Maitland-Niles, Saliba, Caleta-Car, Tagliafico; Caqueret, Matic; Cherki, Almada, Mikautadze; Lacazette.

Score prediction: MU 2-1 Lyon

A Phi

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nhan-dinh-mu-vs-lyon-2h00-ngay-184-khong-con-gi-de-mat-post1734459.tpo