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UEFA Europa League - Fenerbahce VS Lyon Prediction
UEFA Europa League - Fenerbahce VS Lyon
Match Time:24-01-2025 01:45 Friday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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Fenerbahce
Despite a draw against Dynamo on Tuesday, Galatasaray has already secured their place in the tournament's knockout stage and maintains a good chance of advancing from the round of 16. Fenerbahce, however, trails their eternal rivals not just in the league, where they are six points behind, but also in the European competition. The Canaries are just one point away from the edge of the playoff zone. Mourinho's side, which has garnered eight points after six matches, is closely followed by a large group of seven teams eager to bid for Fenerbahce's spot in the top 24.
To avoid further setbacks, the Canaries need to steer clear of a second consecutive defeat in the Europa League, following a disappointing 0:2 home loss to Athletic in the previous round. For Mourinho, this marks only his second home defeat in the Europa League out of 25 matches in the tournament. Another worry for the Portuguese manager is that his players have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their ten matches during the current European campaign. Overall, Fenerbahce has recorded each of the possible outcomes in the group stage. They registered wins against Union at home and Slavia, both by 2:1, along with draws against Twente and Manchester United, and a loss to Athletic, along with a poor away outing at AZ, losing 1:3.
However, since their last defeat by the Spaniards, Fenerbahce's form has been near flawless – four wins and a draw in the Turkish league and cup. In 2025 alone, they have notched four victories and scored 12 goals, including four in a dominant weekend win over Adana Demirspor. Nevertheless, Fenerbahce now faces their toughest opponent of the year. The positive news for the Canaries is that they haven't lost in their last five home matches against French clubs. However, they have been beaten by Lyon in all four previous encounters, including at home in the distant past of 2001 and 2004.
Lyon
Lyon approaches the revival of their European campaign in less-than-ideal spirits, as recent matches have not favored Sampaoli's men. It all started with a 1:2 loss to Brest in mid-January, marking just their second defeat in the last ten matches in Ligue 1. This followed an unexpected exit from the Coupe de France at the round of 64 level against lower division side Burgundy-Jallier. Goals from Matic and Mikautadze only managed to take the game to penalties, where the team converted only two out of four attempts. Their winless streak extended to a goalless draw with Toulouse ahead of the Europa League match, the first time since late October that Olympique has failed to score against an opponent.
Incidentally, that occurrence was in the Europa League, leading to their only group stage loss, where, despite having a clear advantage, Sampaoli's side could not find the net against Besiktas and conceded late in the game – 0:1. In all other Europa League matches, the team has been effective in attack, consistently earning points. They drew 2:2 away against Hoffenheim and enjoyed two emphatic 4:1 victories over Rangers and Qarabag. At home, they defeated Olympiakos 2:0 and Eintracht 3:2, with the latter victory being particularly crucial as it guaranteed them a spot in the knockout stage and allowed them to catch up with the Germans in the quest for direct qualification for the round of 16. A significant contributor to their European success has been Cherki, who has registered four assists, the highest for the club in European competitions since Juninho. Additionally, Fofana's contributions, tallying four goals, should be recognized.
A strong performance in Istanbul would be important for Lyon, not just from a tournament perspective but also psychologically. The team is under pressure from off-field factors. By the end of the season, Olympique must pay off a €100 million debt to avoid relegation. However, this season shows that the boys can gather themselves and produce stable positive results. Recently, Sampaoli's squad had a run of 12 victories in 18 matches. The loss to Besiktas held them back, and their recent away form in Turkey is concerning (three matches without a win). Nevertheless, a draw here may suffice for direct progression to the round of 16, especially given their upcoming home match against Ludogorets, where victory is essential.
Fenerbahce possible starting lineup:
Egribayat; Djiku, Soyuncu, Mercan; Osayi-Samuel, Fred, Szymanski, Tadic, Kostic; Dzeko, En-Nesyri
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lucas Perri; Clinton Mata, Caleta-Car, Niakhate, Abner; Veretout, Matic, Tolisso; Cherki, Mikautadze, Fofana
Manchester United vs Rangers Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
Rangers are yet to beat Manchester United in four meetings between the two sides. United have won three while one match ended as a draw.
The Red Devils are yet to concede a single goal against Rangers.
Rangers have been victorious in just one of their eight away matches against English in all European competitions.
Ruben Amorim picked up back-to-back wins in his first two Europa League matches as Manchester United manager. Only two managers - Sir Marr Busby in 1956 and Sir Alex Ferguson in 1986 - have managed to win their first three major European games with the Red Devils.
This match could mark Bruno Fernandes' 50th appearance in the Europa League. He has 37 goal contributions (20 goals and 17 assists) in the competition, second to only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (34 goals, six assists),
Prediction: Fenerbahce 2-2 Lyon
Fenerbahce, and Mourinho in particular, are often strong at home in Europe, but this will be a tough challenge against a Lyon side who are unbeaten away from the Groupama Stadium in Europe so far this season. It has been a challenging week for the visitors with some very poor results and upheaval continuing off the field, but they still have the quality to compete here in the fight for a top-eight spot.
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