Tottenham Hotspur v Olympique Lyonnais – Match Preview and Betting Tip
With Tottenham Hotspur currently sitting within the Champions League places, their attention turns on Thursday night to the one cup competition that they are still competing in this term, the Europa League. Of all the draws that Spurs could have received, a tie against Olympique Lyonnais is hardly favourable, but given the good form that Spurs have shown recently they will hope to progress, and will perhaps start as slight favourites to do so over two legs.
The match will be of particular import and significance for Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who has steadily established himself in the Spurs goal this season, after moving to the club from Lyon in the summer. While Brad Friedel doubtless counts himself rather unfortunate to have been eased out of the position as Tottenham’s custodian, the reality is that the position needed to be filled by a younger man, given the fact that Friedel is 42 years-old in May this year. It is an absolute tribute to his dedication and professionalism that he has been able to retain enough sharpness to remain a highly creditable Premier League goalkeeper, and given Lloris’ position as first choice Spurs keeper, Friedel may get the nod for this particular fixture.
Aside from this selection conundrum, the talk going into the game is centred around Gareth Bale, who is playing phenomenal football at present, and seems to be linked with Real Madrid on an almost daily basis. Whether this transfer will happen or not remains to be seen, but it does seem increasingly unlikely that such a supremely gifted individual will be willing to play out his career at a team that rarely challenges for the game’s highest honours.
Aside from a decision on which goalkeeper to pay, Andre Villas-Boas is likely to field a very strong eleven for this game, but may add Gylfi Sigurdsson to his midfield with Lewis Holtby cup-tied. Emmanuel Adebayor is also expected to start with Clint Dempsey dropping back into a deeper role.
Tottenham (possible 4-3-2-1): Friedel; Walker, Dawson, Gallas, Naughton; Parker, Sigurdsson, Dempsey; Bale, Lennon; Adebayor
Olympique Lyonnais (possible 4-4-2): Vercoutre; Reveillere, Dabo, Bisevic, Umtiti; Grenier, Gourcuff, Gonalons, Ghezzal; Lopez, Lacazette
Betting prediction: Lyon are one of the top teams in the French league and are currently vying with Paris Saint Germain for a place at the top of the table, and thus shouldn’t be underestimated. Although they are not at the same level as when they were a perennial qualifier for the Champions League knockout stages and formed part of the powerful G14 group, they still have some very capable players, and certainly will not lie down and die at White Hart Lane. However, an indication of their decline was given at the weekend when they lost 3-1 at home to Lille, and Spurs must start as favourites for this fixture.
Thus, given the good recent form of Tottenham, and the incandescent brilliance of Gareth Bale, I am tipping Spurs to nick a win in this game. My scoreline prediction for this game is Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Olympique Lyonnais.