Lyon v Manchester United: Ruben Amorim's side to fall flat in France

• Man Utd's tame attack makes them tough to fancy

• Lyon have scored 2.3 goals per game in the Europa

• Backing the hosts @ 2.6413/8 rates as value call

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Lyon v Man Utd - French side have the firepower to outscore United

Thursday, 20:00
Live on TNT Sports

Last time I checked, you need to score goals to win football matches.

You can talk tactics until the cows come home but the most important aspect of this game is being able to put the ball in the net.

Backing teams that struggle in front of goal is a pastime I'm keen to avoid where possible. This does explain why I'm continuously fading Manchester United this season such is the flakiness in their forward line when it comes to scoring goals. Back-to-back blanks against Nottingham Forest and Manchester City mean they've failed to score in eight of Ruben Amorim's 20 Premier League games in charge.

That dismal draw with rivals City on Sunday means United have also failed to win five of their last seven in all competitions.

It's therefore no surprise based on such woeful attacking returns that Amorim's side are on course for their worst ever Premier League finish.

So, there is huge pressure on them to go all the way and lift the Europa League trophy in May in order to secure a passage into Europe for next season. The markets do speak positively about their prospects. They are second favorites to win the competition at 4.84/1 on the Betfair Exchange - that makes little sense to me as the name and stature of the club has played its part in formulating that price.

This is such a tricky tie for United, especially this first leg in France because Lyon have been sensational at home for quite a while now, across all competitions since the November International break. They've won nine, drawn two, lost just once.

And that sole defeat came against PSG where they were only edged out 3-2 by the Champions League favourites.

Goals flow at home for Lyon

Paulo Fonseca, who continues to serve a nine-month ban for angrily confronting a referee, has built a team that does score goals and plays with the mindset of attacking the game.

With 23 goals in their 10 games in this season's Europa League and a similar average produced of 2.2 goals scored in domestic home Ligue 1 matches in the last five months, the evidence is there for us Lyon that stand a great chance of outscoring United on Thursday night.

Georges Mikautadze is an exciting player for Lyon having racked up a total of 24 goals and nine assists in all competitions for club and country this season. Premier League clubs are reportedly monitoring him so he'll be keen to impress on this kind of stage. He will be causing problems. 

You don't have to be particularly good at reading people to know where I'm heading in terms of a selection. It's all about Lyon in this first leg and I'm taking the 2.6413/8 on the home win on the Betfair Exchange.

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