Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the UEFA Europa League match.
Both clubs are struggling to secure consecutive wins, having drawn and lost in their last matches, so they need to recover as quickly as possible.
Olympique Lyon
Last weekend, Lyon put on a show alongside Olympique de Marseille at their home stadium. Five goals flew into the net, with two coming in injury time of the second half, and the hosts ultimately lost the crucial match (2:3). The score should have been opened in the first half, but Lyon forward Alexandre Lacazette missed a penalty before the break, and Gift Orban hit the woodwork in the 10th minute. Their wastefulness (22 shots to 9, 3.01-0.79 xG) was severely punished by Olympique de Marseille on counterattacks (first and second goals) and due to a goalkeeping error (winning goal). Hence, it’s no surprise that the French side dropped to 15th place.
Olympiacos Piraeus
Olympiacos’ victory in last season’s Conference League allowed them to bypass any qualifiers in the Europa League. They went straight to the group stage, allowing them to focus on their domestic league. However, avoiding setbacks proved difficult, especially unnecessary ones. If Aris Thessaloniki were somewhat close in level and played at home (1:2), failing to beat Panaitolikos Agrinio at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium (0:0) with 31 shots on goal required real effort. Only five of those shots were on target, which explains the result, while their opponent didn't have any accurate shots. Both slip-ups occurred after the international break.
Olympique Lyon vs Olympiacos Piraeus Prediction
Both teams create a lot of chances but sometimes struggle with finishing, though there’s a high probability they will correct this issue. It's not certain that Lyon will win, so it’s better to bet on the number of goals. We’ll choose the total over 2.5—this bet has come through in three of the last five matches for both clubs.
