For West Ham United, their chances of qualifying for Champions League next season, via a top four finish, seem to be slipping away by the week. Their best, and some would only, chance of getting into Europe’s big dance next season is through having won the junior varsity tournament.
The quest continues with a quarterfinal tie against Olympique Lyonnais, with the home leg coming up tomorrow night. So without further ado, let’s preview.
West Ham United vs Olympique Lyonnais UEL Quarterfinals FYIs
Kickoff: Thurs Apr 7, 8pm, London Stadium
Key Stat: Lyon are undefeated in their last six (W4D2) against English sides, including their elimination of Manchester City in the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League
Form Guide (All Competitions): West Ham LLWWLW Lyon WWLDDW
Form Guide (UEL): West Ham WDWLLW Lyon WWWDWD
West Ham United Team News
Angelo Ogbonna remains out of commission as a long term injury absentee. Meanwhile Manuel Lanzini is serving a suspension for the first leg of this tie, after having picked up his third booking of the tournament against Sevilla. Beyond that though the Argentine also didn’t take part against Everton on the weekend after having been involved in a car accident a few days prior.
Ben Johnson is a doubt, after having missed that Everton win due to a hamstring issue. However, he has trained in the lead-up to this game.
West Ham United Starting XI Prediction (4-2-3-1):
Alphonse Areola; Aaron Cresswell, Kurt Zouma, Craig Dawson, Vladimir Coufal; Tomas Soucek, Declan Rice; Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals, Jarrod Bowen; Michail Antonio
Fearless Prediction
West Ham 1, Lyon 0. I don’t have a ton of confidence in the Hammers ability to progress through this tie, but I do think they’ll get a result in the capital city.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.