David Flower
Dailysports's expert
Rangers
Lyon
One of the second-round Europa League group stage matches will be played on Thursday in Glasgow, where Rangers will host French side Lyon at Ibrox Stadium. Here’s a match preview and prediction from the Dailysports expert team.
Rangers
Under the guidance of Philippe Clement, Rangers started their Europa League campaign with an impressive 2-0 away victory against Malmö. Albanian midfielder Nedim Bajrami opened the scoring for the Scottish side in the first minute, while Ross McCausland doubled the lead in the second half. This result marks an ideal start for Rangers in their European quest.
In the Scottish Premiership, however, Rangers have been facing challenges, trailing not only Celtic but also Aberdeen after six rounds. Over the weekend, they secured a narrow 1-0 win at home against Hibernian, marking their fourth consecutive victory across all competitions.
Lyon
The "Les Gones" also began their Europa League journey with a convincing win, beating Greek side Olympiacos 2-0 at home. Second-half goals from Cherki and Benrahma ensured the victory, giving Lyon a solid start in the group stage.
In Ligue 1, Lyon’s situation is more complicated. They managed to secure a 2-1 victory over Toulouse in their last outing, a win that marked only their second in six matches. Malik Fofana’s 95th-minute strike earned them crucial points, but overall, Lyon’s domestic form remains far from ideal.
Match Facts
- The "Total Under 2.5" bet has landed in the last three encounters between these teams.
- Rangers have kept a clean sheet in six of their last seven matches.
- Lyon have conceded two or more goals in five of their last eight games.
H2H
The last time these teams met was in 2021 during the Europa League group stage, where Lyon won 2-0 away and drew 1-1 at home.
Probable Lineups
- Rangers: Butland, Yefte, Propper, Souttar, Tavernier, Raskin, Barron, McCausland, Lawrence, Černý, Ighaman
- Lyon: Riou, Kumbedi, Mata, Čaleta-Car, Abner, Tessmann, Caqueret, Veretout, Zaha, Mikautadze, Benrahma
Prediction
While Lyon managed to keep a clean sheet against Olympiacos, their defensive struggles in Ligue 1 are evident—12 goals conceded in six league matches. Rangers will aim to exploit these weaknesses, especially at home. We recommend betting on “Total Over 2.5” with odds of 1.81.
