Lyon vs Ludogorets prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – League phase betting tips on match 2025-01-29 20:00.
[p]Lyon head into matchday eight of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) looking to book their place in the last 16 automatically, sitting inside the top-eight after an impressive showing so far (W4, D2, L1). Les Gones will hope to build on that here too, boasting a strong home record in this competition, winning 11 of their 15 group stage/league phase matches on their own turf (D3, L1), conceding just eight goals in the process.[/p]
[p]Three of those goals have come from their last two such matches (W1, L1), and their form across all competitions has been poor in January (W1, D3, L2). A 1-1 draw at Nantes in Ligue 1 on Sunday stretched their winless run to five games and saw manager Pierre Sage sacked on Tuesday morning ahead of this clash with Ludogorets – their first ever meeting with Bulgarian opposition. [/p]
[p]Ludogorets’ only previous meetings against a French team came back in 2016, creditably holding PSG to a Champions League draw in Paris. They return to French soil having failed to score in any of their three league phase away matches in this season’s UEL (D2, L1), with that miserable run contributing in part to their already-confirmed exit from the competition.[/p]
[p]No side in the league phase has managed fewer than their three goals scored at any venue, with the Bulgarians one of just three sides yet to win (D3, L4). Should results elsewhere go against them, a place at the bottom of the table could await Ludogorets with defeat in Lyon, while another scoring blank would mark their joint-worst run of goalless away games in their UEL history.[/p]
[p]Key battle: Rayan Cherki will be itching to get back to home action in the UEL after he was involved in all three of Lyon’s goals in their last European game here against Frankfurt (G1, A2). Looking to keep him out will be Ludogorets’ German goalkeeper Hendrik Bonmann who has kept clean sheets in two of their three UEL league phase away games this season.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Lyon have not trailed at half-time in any of their seven UEL games this term (W4, D2, L1).[/p]
[p][i]Written by Tom Penn[/i][/p]