It has been a long and hard season for Manchester United. Could there be a happy ending though with a European trophy won and a place in next season’s Champions League? To keep their hopes alive, they must beat Lyon in the quarter-finals.
The Red Devils last won the Europa League eight years ago. Their last Europa League final was in 2021 when they were beaten by Villarreal. This season, they take on Lyon in the quarter-final with the first leg in France and the return leg at Old Trafford on April 17.
The winners will take on either Rangers (already beaten by United this season) or Athletic Bilbao. Can United make it to the final that is being played in Bilbao on May 21? They are 7/2 to win the trophy with Bilbao the current favorites at 10/3 with these betting promos as per Offersbet.co.uk.
United have had to play ten games to reach the quarter-finalsand are yet to taste defeat. Oh for that kind of consistency in the Premier League this season. It was a real struggle early on though in the league phase of this competition.
Their first three games at home to Twente and away at Porto and Fenerbahce were all drawn. To make it even more frustrating was the fact that United led in all three of those games. That included going 2-0 up in Porto in 20 minutes but still needing a 91st minute goal by Harry Maguire to grab a point.
With just three points, United had a job on their hands to ensure qualification and avoid going into the play-offs. Better form soon arrived though with home wins over PAOK and Bodo/Glimt. As has been the case so many times this season, nothing has come easy for the Reds. They trailed Bodo/Glimt 2-1 at home before two goals from Hojlund gave them a valuable win.
The next three games were also won as United stormed into the top eight in the league phase. Hojlund may have struggled for goals in the Premier League this season but he has enjoyed far more success in Europe.
December saw him score twice away at Viktoria Pizen. They were much needed goals as United had gone a goal down. That made it four in his last two and five for the season but he hasn’t scored since in the Europa League.
The Battle of Britain at home to Rangers produced a 2-1 home win. Many fans might have missed the winner as Bruno Fernandes didn’t score it until the 92nd minute. Their final game in the league phase saw them win 2-0 at FSCB. That saw them finish third in the table with only Lazio and Athletic Bilbao ahead of them.
With the play-off round avoided, United went straight through to the last 16 where they were drawn to play Real Sociedad. Another lead was lost in the away first leg but the Reds returned home with a 1-1 draw.
It was a nerve-tangling second leg with Sociedad taking an early lead. Bruno Fernandes equalised, scored another penalty in the second half and then completed his hat-trick. United ran out 4-1 winners to reach the last eight.
The Reds are 4/7 with UK bookmakers to make their way past Lyon and 6/4 to eventually make it all the way to the final.
Lyon finished sixth in the league phase with four wins, three draws and just one loss. That left them three points behind United. Their only defeat in the league phase was when losing 1-0 at home to Besiktas in October. The French club are 7/5 to beat United in this quarter-final and 11/1 to win the Europa League
Three of the clubs they have faced in this season’s Europa League have also taken on United this season. In the league phase, the Ligue 1 side impressively won 4-1 away against Rangers and drew 0-0 on the road against Fenerbahce.
The other opponents that Lyon have in common with the Reds are FCSB. The two clubs met in the last 16 with Lyon winning the away first leg 3-1 (though it was level going into the 86th minute) and then finishing the job off with a 4-0 home success.
While the second leg of their quarter-final with United is being played at Old Trafford, that may not scare them too much. They are unbeaten on their travels in this season’s Europa League with 13 goals scored in five matches.
They are just outside the European qualification places in Ligue 1 but still in with a good chance of making it into the Champions League. They last reached this stage of the Europa League in the 2021-22 season, losing to West Ham.
There have been four previous matches between these two clubs with United winning two of them and the others being drawn. Hopefully, United can maintain that good record and take another step closer to the Champions League.
