Lyon are aiming to extend a fine run of form as they host Besiktas in a UEFA Europa League clash on Thursday. The French side are looking confident at the moment and should be too strong for their Turkish visitors, who have been out of sorts in recent weeks.
After enduring a slow start to the season, Lyon appear to have finally found their rhythm. Pierre Sage’s men have won their two matches in the Europa League, claiming a 2-0 victory over Olympiacos before easing to a 4-1 triumph at Rangers.
Beyond the Europa League, Lyon have impressed across all competitions and are currently on a five match winning run, including a 4-0 victory at Le Havre. A key thing for the French side is that they have tightened up at the back having kept clean sheets in their last two Jose matches.
In contrast to Lyon, Besiktas’ Europa League campaign has not started on a positive note as they have lost their two matches. They were hammered 4-0 at Ajax before suffering a 3-1 home defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in their previous fixture.
Things have been a bit erratic for Besiktas in recent weeks as they have picked up two wins and suffered two defeats in their last five matches. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men will head into Thursday’s clash with some confidence after claiming a 2-0 victory over Konyaspor in a Super Lig fixture last weekend.
How the bookies view it: Bookies backing Lyon
Lyon are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies, with a home win priced at 4/6 by Betfred. A victory for Besiktas is valued at 7/2 by Betfred, who is offering odds of 3/1 for a draw.
Head to head: Evenly matched rivals
Lyon and Besiktas met during the knockout stage of the 2016-17 Europa League with each team winning 2-1 at home before the French side progressed on penalties.
Players to watch: Lacazette back in the groove
Alexandre Lacazette appears to have found his rhythm again, scoring three times in the last three matches. The striker will be the one to watch on Thursday and is priced at 11/8 by Betfred to find the net ice again.
Besiktas will look to Ciro Immobile to provide the spark in attack having found the net eight times this season. The forward is valued at 12/5 by Betfred to maintain his scoring run.
Probable line-ups
Midfielder Nemanja Matic remains the only injury absentee for Lyon on Thursday. Said Benrahma could be pushing for a start in attack alongside Lacazette after coming off the bench on Sunday.
Besiktas will be without Gabriel Paulista and Milot Rashica, who are both sidelined with injury. Immobile should lead the line once again while Felix Uduokhai should continue at the back.
Lyon: Perri, Maitland-Niles, Mata, Niakhate, Abner, Veretout, Caqueret, Tolisso, Benrahma, Fofana, Lacazette
Besiktas: Gunok, Masuaku, Topçu, Uduokhai, Svensson, Ndour, Fernandes, Kiliçsoy, Rafa, Muci, Immobile
Anything else catch the eye?
Lyon and Besiktas have quality in attack and could be set to produce goals on Thursday. Over 3.5 goals is valued at 13/8 with Betfred, who is also offering 8/13 for over 2.5 goals.
With Lyon priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, a win and both teams to score could be considered at 21/10 by Betfred.
This UEFA Europa League match between Lyon and Besiktas will be played on Oct 24, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Lyon vs Besiktas prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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