Manchester United, as rough a season as they’ve had, are still in very good shape towards possibly winning a trophy. Ahead of the start of the quarterfinal round, United generally have the second best odds of winning the competition, behind only Athletic Bilbao, and the difference in consumer sentiment between the favorites and United is very small. Up next is a tie against Lyon, who typically have the fifth or sixth best odds of everyone still remaining in the field, when it comes to outright tournament winner.
In other words, United are expected to take care of business in the next round of the UEL, and make a deep run in the tourney.
UEFA Europa League Quarterfinals Leg 1/2
Manchester United at Lyon
Kickoff: Thurs. April 10, 8pm, Parc Olympique Lyonnais
Fun Fact: Lyon have never beaten United (D2L2) in any of their previous meetings.
United Preview Content: Starting XI Prediction Team News
So maybe, just maybe, this season isn’t quite as disastrous as everyone believes it is? Well, you’d have to ignore the Premier League standings, in which the Red Devils are buried on the second page, in order to even entertain that notion.
Man United Starting Lineup Prediction at Lyon (Europa League)
Andre Onana; Leny Yoro, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire; Diogo Dalot, Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte, Mason Mount; Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho; Rasmus Hojlund
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.