UEFA Europa League Preview: Lyon’s Poor Ligue 1 Performance May Distract; Olympiacos Aims for a Winning Start

On September 27 at 03:00 AM, the UEFA Europa League group stage will kick off with a first-round match, featuring Lyon hosting Olympiacos.

Lyon is a team from the French Ligue 1. In this season’s Ligue 1, the team has had a poor start, only managing 1 win, 1 draw, and 3 losses, accumulating 4 points and temporarily ranking 14th. The team has scored only 6 goals in 5 games but conceded 11, indicating poor offensive performance and defensive vulnerabilities. Their subpar league performance is bound to impact their Europa League campaign.

Last season, Lyon played 34 matches, achieving 16 wins, 5 draws, and 13 losses, earning 53 points and finishing 6th in the league, thereby securing a spot in the Europa League group stage. Their last European campaign was in the 2021-22 season when they reached the quarter-finals. After three seasons of inactivity, the team hopes to achieve success once again in the Europa League. Currently, the team is fully fit, which is a significant advantage.

Olympiacos is a team from the Greek Super League. In this season’s opening phase, the team has performed well, recording 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, accumulating 10 points and temporarily ranking 3rd. They have scored 8 goals and conceded only 3 in 5 games, demonstrating excellent competitive form. With no immediate concerns in the league, they can focus all their energy on the Europa League.

Olympiacos has always been a strong contender in the Greek Super League and a frequent participant in the Champions League and Europa League. However, in recent years, they have not achieved remarkable results, usually being eliminated in the group stage. With the reform of the European competitions this year, the team aims to seize this opportunity to deliver their best performance in recent years. In terms of injuries, Masouras will miss the game due to a muscle issue.

In this year’s Europa League group, there are as many as 36 teams, with only the top 8 advancing directly. Teams ranked 9th to 24th will participate in play-offs. For both teams, if they want to secure a direct qualification spot, they must strive to win against opponents of similar strength. This match is crucial for both sides.

The two teams have faced each other twice historically, back in the 2005 Champions League, where Lyon won both matches. Nineteen years later, Lyon is no longer as dominant as before, while Olympiacos has steadily improved, setting the stage for an evenly matched encounter.

>>”>More predictions and analysis for this match can be found here>>>