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Olympique Lyon will attempt to secure qualification and make a big step towards finishing first in the Europa League Group E, while Apollon will need a win to have any chance of reaching the KO stage. Lyon and Atalanta both have 8 points in this group, Apollon has 3, and Everton has one.
Lyon needs a draw to secure qualification, but a win would go a long way to helping them finish first and possibly drawing an easier opponent in the next round. The French side (third in Ligue 1) has played some great football this season, particularly at home, where they are undefeated in all competitions. Lyon is also in excellent form, winning 6 matches in a row with a combined goal difference of 20-3 before being held to a 0-0 draw at home by Montpellier on Sunday.
The Cypriots are on a great run right now, losing just once in their last 15 matches in all competitions, and made a good account of themselves in this group with 3 draws and 1 loss. But, in all honesty, they were quite lucky with late goals in all their games – equalizing Everton away in the 88th minute, Atalanta at home in the 94th minute and Lyon at home in the 93rd minute. That obviously shows fighting spirit and confidence, but there was a lot of good fortune involved as well.
Bet on Lyon v Apollon and claim a 100% (100 Eur) welcome bonus at Ohmbet now!Team news & lineups:
Lyon is expected to field a strong lineup, probably the best available starting XV (Tete and Cheikh are out). They will get back Fekir after suspension, so that will be a plus. Apollon has not reported new injuries or suspensions.
Olympique Lyon: Lopes – Rafael, Diakhaby, Marcelo, Mendy – Ndombele, Tousart – Cornet, Fekir, Depay – Traore
Apollon Limassol: Vale – Pedro, Alef, Yuste, Jander – da Silva, Allan, Sanchetti – Sardinero, Maglica, Zelaya
Listen, the visitors are in good form lately and they proved themselves to be competitive in this group, but fact is they could have easily lost all their games – including at home against today`s opponent. They are also less dangerous on the road, as showed in the 1-3 loss against Atalanta.
Lyon is clicking on all cylinders lately and they will fancy their chances to claim a win here. Their offense is terrific, and you would expect them to score a couple of goals after failing to find the net last time out against Montpellier.
Lyon`s offense should be key here, particularly as Apollon needs the three points, so at some point they will need to take more risks and open themselves up a bit more. Apollon is also not a team which can park the bus and frustrate opponents. Despite their good form, they kept just two clean sheets in their last 17 matches – which says a lot considering that most of those were against poor opposition in Cyprus.
I`m backing Lyon to win at home against an inferior opponent which, according to all logic, will play relatively open football. An upset seems unlikely give the circumstances and the form of OL, so my tip will be the 1 goal asian handicap on Lyon. Some may feel the odds are too low, but I`d rather play it safe(r) here than getting greedy with the -1,25 or -1,5. A 9 unit stake will bring a small but decent profit on this one. Prediction: Olympique Lyon – Apollon Limassol 3-0.
Pick: Lyon (-1 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 1.43 @ 18Bet
Stake: 9
Possible profit: 3.87
Event date: 23 November
