Lyon Clings on Its Europa League Spot as It Takes on Angers
Published April 28, 2017 by Florin P
Lyon travels to Angers in the 35th round of Ligue 1 hoping to secure the 4th place and a Europa League berth. (7:45 p.m UK Time).
Lyon managed to advance the next stage of Europa League after surviving a penalty shootout against Besiktas. The Turkish champions gave them a run for their money, but the French side responded in style and will play in the semifinals. Now they need to secure their presence in the second most prestigious European competition for next season when they travel to Angers.
No Pressure for the Hosts
Angers had a clear objective for the season and that was to avoid relegation, something that they are likely to achieve. Even though they only have seven points ahead of Dijon and Nancy, this advantage will ultimately prove enough to remain in the French first division. The teams below them either play among themselves or against the division leaders and are unlikely to gather the necessary points.
Under these circumstances, the home side will aim for one point in all the remaining games and has no interest in pushing the tempo. Against Lyon they feature a defensive minded formation and plan on blocking the attempts of their more skilled opponents. Offensively, they won’t amount for much and are unlikely to exercise enough pressure to keep the visitors in check.
Lyon Can't Rely on Lacazette
The biggest concern for the visiting team is that they won’t be able to rely on their most prolific striker. Alexander Lacazette has suffered a serious injury and won’t be playing in this match. Without him, the offensive midfielders and the other strikers will need to step up. Even without him, Lyon has enough quality to dominate Angers and is expected to come out firing on all cylinders.
Even odds on the visiting team to win this match are spectacular and bet365 Sports currently makes this tempting proposition. The head to head record heavily favors Lyon and they are likely to win the third match in a row against Angers this Friday.
