West Ham and Lyon to play out pulsating draw
The London Stadium is all set to hold what promises to be an exciting UEFA Europa League quarter final first leg match between West Ham United and Lyon on Thursday evening. Both teams have a lot of quality in attacking areas, so neutral viewers should be in for a treat. Read our preview here:
King Jarrod
David Moyes' men are within touching distance of an unlikely Champions League spot, all whilst successfully mounting a charge deep into the secondary continental competition. They became the latest side to profit from Everton's defensive shambles at the weekend, a game which was capped off by the goalscoring return of Jarrod Bowen, whose productive exploits have him setting his sights on an England place at the World Cup in November. Equally dangerous playing the final ball or being on the end of it himself, his contributions have helped take the burden off Michail Antonio's shoulders. Vladimir Coufal should get the nod at right-back, too, linking up with Bowen down that flank.
He'd cost a Paquetá
OL eventually saw off Angers' dogged resistance in Ligue 1 on Sunday, coming out on top of a five-goal thriller. Peter Bosz is not one for instructing his players to sit back either, maximising the talent they have at the other end of the pitch. Though youngster Rayan Cherki will be absent, Cameroon international Karl Toko Ekambi will be looking to build on successfully navigating Les Lions Indomptables to Qatar. Alongside him in the attacking midfield trio will also be Lucas Paquetá. The Brazilian is a huge presence between the lines, and will supply Moussa Dembélé, himself linked with the hosts for much of 2021/2022, with the ammunition.
Betting tip
There's unlikely to be much difference between the sides and, whilst that can often mean dull affairs, that's not going to be the case in east London. Parimatch have odds of 3.50 for a draw that will set up a dramatic second leg back in France.
