Tottenham v Lyon Betting Preview
Of the four English sides left in the round of 32 of the Europa League, Spurs perhaps drew the shortest straw as they go up against strong French side Lyon. Lyon are usually found floating around the Champions League in the group stage but they missed out on qualification this season. Spurs navigated their way through the group stage of the Europa League to set up a clash with Lyon, both sides going unbeaten through the first phase. This is a huge first leg for Spurs, who really need to keep the Ligue 1 side at bay to have a decent fighting chance for the return leg in France.
Tottenham v Lyon Betting Odds at online bookmaker Ladbrokes
Spurs 4/5, Draw 5/2, Lyon 3/1
Tottenham v Lyon Recommended Bet:
Spurs were decent enough and had a comfortable passage through to the round of 32, even though they didn’t win their group. They were edged out in the end by Lazio, but the home form of Spurs was solid enough to suggest that can edge things as favourite. In the group stage Tottenham took two wins and a draw (the dropped points coming against Lazio). Looking over the stats, things may just be on the side of Spurs as well. They are unbeaten in their last three matches against French sides, taking two wins and a draw, however, the last time they did meet French opposition in Europe was way back in 1971. So nothing current. Their only previous encounter with Lyon themselves was back in the 1967/86 Cup Winners Cup, Lyon moving ahead on aggregate. Spurs netted eight goals and conceded four in the group stage, and they perhaps are a little lightweight in goal scoring power. Gareth Bale is certainly covering for that at the moment though.
They are one of the Premier League’s form sides though, unbeaten in their last eight and are challenging for a place in the Champions League instead next term. The only other French side beside Lyon that Spurs have faced, was FC Nantes back in the 71/72 UEFA Cup, taking a 1-0 win which has at least seen them hold a 100% record at home against Ligue 1 sides (albeit from two games). Spurs, with two wins and four draws are unbeaten in their six European matches this season and this is the fourth time that they have made it through to the round of 32. Keeper Hugo Lloris will face up against his former side Lyon, who he left in the summer to join the London side. Jerm
Just like Spurs, Lyon came through the group stage of the Europa League undefeated, and have recorded five wins and one draw in their six matches so far. They have been far more clinical than Spurs and up until recently, they were challenging hard for the league title in France alongside Paris St Germain. However, they have hit a slump in form, losing their last two league matches back to back. Their record against English sides is not hot either, having won just one of their last nine fixtures against teams from England in all competitions, and drawing three. They have lost five of their last eight trips across the Channel to England and hold a W2 D1 L5 record on English soil. Lyon were the second highest scorers in the group stage for goals inside the first 30 minutes of games, but they also conceded more goals than any other team in the first fifteen minutes after half time of all teams who qualified for the round of 32. Lyon are still second in Ligue 1 and a very strong side. It’s not going to be an easy night for Spurs.
A draw may really not be a bad option to go with on this one for a price of 5/2 at online bookmaker Ladbrokes.
Online bookmaker Promotion
There is a great Europa League accumulator bonus to be earned at online bookmaker Ladbrokes. Place an accumulator on any matches from the Europa League (also includes Champions League matches) and if your bet wins, then you can receive a bonus of up to 30%! Naturally the bigger the accumulator, the bigger the bonus on top would be. You can get a 5% win bonus on trebles for example and a 20% bonus on 6, 7 and 8 folds. Online bookmaker Ladbrokes offer up to a free £50 bet as a welcome bonus for new customers as well. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet.
