Olympique Lyonnais visit Celta Vigo in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie. The match takes place at the Estadio de Balaidos.
Lyon’s Route to the Last 16
Lyon had a near-perfect group stage. They won 7 of their 8 matches, losing only once. That gave them 21 points and first place in the group, and direct qualification for the last 16. Lyon also finished with the best attack in the group stage, scoring 18 goals.
Celta Vigo’s route was less straightforward. They finished 16th in their group with 13 points, after 4 wins, 1 draw, and 3 defeats. That meant they had to go through a play-off round, where they eliminated PAOK Salonique of Greece with two wins.
Team News and Line-ups
Celta Vigo’s coach Claudio Giraldez has named a predictable line-up, only missing Ramon. Iago Aspas starts in attack alongside Iglesias and Williot Swedberg. Swedberg is the Spanish club’s top scorer in the Europa League with 4 goals.
Celta Vigo’s line-up is: Radu – Starfelt, Rodriguez, Alonso – Rueda, Vecino, Moriba, Mingueza – Aspas (c), Iglesias, Swedberg.
Endrick will make his European debut for Olympique Lyonnais. The Brazilian was unavailable for the final two group matches in January. He has 5 goals and 4 assists in 10 matches for Lyon.
Paulo Fonseca has a number of injuries to contend with. Kluivert, Maitland-Niles, Sulc, Fofana, Moreira and Nuamah are all unavailable. Hateboer, Kamara and Ghezzal are not registered for the competition. Young Steeve Kango will make his professional debut at right-back. Corentin Tolisso captains the side, playing in support of Endrick and Yaremchuk.
Lyon’s line-up is: Greif – Kango, Mata, Niakhaté, Tagliafico – Nartey, Morton, Abner – Tolisso (c) – Endrick, Yaremchuk.
Lyon Looking to Rebound
Lyon had been impressive earlier in the season, topping their Europa League group and pushing for Champions League qualification in Ligue 1. However, their form has dipped in recent weeks. Lyon are without a win in four matches in all competitions. That includes a Coupe de France quarter-final defeat to Lens. Lyon appear to be struggling physically.
This Europa League campaign provides an opportunity for Lyon to regain their form.