WEST HAM UNITED fans are starting to dream of Europa League glory but their side face a tricky hurdle in this quarter-final clash with French giants Lyon.
Having dumped out serial tournament winners Sevilla in the last round, the Hammers will fear no one – although a semi-final with favourites Barcelona could await if they pass this test.
Despite their incredible resurgence under David Moyes, quite a few people doubted if West Ham would be able to juggle a successful European campaign with a push for the top four in the Premier League this season.
But they have barely put a foot wrong in the Europa League and sit just three points off fourth place domestically after a 2-1 weekend win over Everton, a game that saw Slips Tips strike gold again.
Lyon have found fighting on two fronts more difficult and sit a lowly ninth in Ligue 1 after a hugely disappointing domestic campaign.
Their only hope of booking a Champions League ticket for next season will be through winning the Europa League and they have saved some of their best performances for the continent.
Lyon won 2-0 at Ibrox en route to topping their group and knocked out Champions League regulars Porto in the last 16 thanks to a battling 1-0 win in Portugal.
How the bookies view it
West Ham are strong at home and their best price for a first-leg win in London is 19/17 with SBK, which looks good value. Lyon are as big as 14/5 with Unibet while a draw on the night pays 28/11 at SBK. To qualify, the Hammers are narrow 28/29 favourites (VBet) while the French side are evens (BoyleSports).
Head to head
This is the first competitive game between the teams but West Ham beat French side Metz 3-2 on aggregate to win the Intertoto Cup in 199. Lyon's record against English opposition is good, winning eight of their 21 games and losing just six times. They memorably knocked Manchester City out in the 2020 Champions League quarter-finals after a 3-1 win at the Etihad (below).
Players to watch
Jarrod Bowen scored a weekend winner on his return from injury and will give West Ham more of a cutting edge in this game. The England hopeful is 23/10 at Unibet for anytime scorer and 3/1 with Paddy Power for an assist.
Karl Toko Ekambi scored a stunner for Lyon in the win at Ibrox and also caught the eye with his displays for Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations. He's 3/1 with Unibet for a goal in London and that looks pretty generous.
Anything else catch the eye?
West Ham are a massive threat from set-pieces and could play for corners and free-kicks here. Lyon won just six corners across their two legs with Porto so backing the Hammers at -1 in the corner handicap looks good value at 21/20 with Bet365.
First legs can often be cagey so I also like the look of the 9/10 on offer at Unibet for Lyon to have under 11.5 total shots.
This UEFA Europa League match between West Ham United and Lyon will be played on Apr 7, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best West Ham United vs Lyon prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
