In search of a place in the next phase of the Europa League 2017/2018, Lyon receives on Thursday, November 2, Everton, still without a coach. The match is part of the fourth round of the group stage of the tournament, the first round of the second round. It starts scheduled for 16h (Brasília time) at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon.
It is the Italians of Atalanta who lead the group E with seven points. The French come next with five points. The first two advance to the knockout stage. Apollon of Cyprus is third with two points and the blues of Liverpool hold the lantern with only one point added.
Lyon’s recent performance
A win at home against Metz, 2-0 on Sunday, October 29, increased to four consecutive successes of Lyon and to seven the number of games without losing. The good moment made the team take third place in the 2017/2018 French Championship with 22 points (six wins, four draws and a loss) accumulated. The difference to the virtually unreachable Paris Saint-Germain is seven points. However, there is still the possibility of fighting for the vice with Monaco, second placed with 25.
The home factor has been decisive for Lyon’s good campaign. At Parc Olympique Lyonnais the team has not yet been defeated in the season. In the Ligue 1, he added four wins and two draws presenting the second best performance as principal. It is only surpassed by the powerful PSG.
Led by Bruno Genesio, Lyon have two medical doubts for the confrontation on Thursday. They are in injury treatment defender Ferland Mendy (five matches in the French Championship 2017/2018, no goal) and midfielder Clement Grenier (a game, no goal).
The current form of Everton
If defeats have been rare in Lyon, on the blue side of Liverpool the shortage is of victories. Everton’s most recent success came on Sept. 23 when they defeated Bournemouth 2-1 at home.
Since then, the team has made seven matches. There were five defeats and two draws. The disastrous campaign has brought down Dutch coach Ronald Koeman, the first captain to be fired at the club in the last decade before completing two seasons in office.
The unusual situation showed that the hats did not have a ‘plan B’ for Koeman. They are still in the market in search of a substitute. As long as they do not hit the hammer, David Unsworth, assistant technician, is taking over as interim.
His entry into nothing affected the results. In the first match under his command, Everton lost to Chelsea, 2-1 in London, and was eliminated from the League Cup of England. The second game was against Leicester, also away from home, by the Premier League and made the team return to Liverpool again with hands shaking. It took 2 to 0.
With just one point added in the last four matches of the Premier League, Everton is in the relegation zone of the tournament. With eight points (two wins, two draws and six losses), it occupies the eighteenth position. The scoring is the same as Swansea, seventeenth and first out of the region of the sticking, but the Liverpool team takes disadvantage in the relegation criteria.
As the situation is practically irreversible in the Europa League it is quite probable that Unsworth nor put in the field all its holders. After all, the team has a major duel against Watford at home, scheduled for Sunday, November 5, which opens the chance to leave the relegation zone.
It’s not the only thing that can keep Everton from putting a team full of reserves in Lyon. There are still problems with concussion, which affect especially the midfielders. Three of them are in the infirmary: Ross Barkley, James McCarthy and Nikola Vlasic.
History of the matches Lyon vs Everton
The match in the last round of the first round of the group stage of the Europa League version 2017/2018 was the first among the teams. It finished with a French victory by 2 to 1.
PREDICTION: Lyon win @ 1.45
