Europa Odds: Lyon Take on Turkish champs Besiktas
Lyon (-162) vs. Besiktas (+550), Draw (+340)
After overcoming the odds against Roma in the Round of 16, Lyon hosts Turkish side Besiktas on April 13th for the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals.
Lyon wasn’t among the favorites at the start of the competition, but now that so many of the frontrunners have been eliminated, they’ve emerged as Manchester United’s biggest threat.
They had an impressive showing against Roma in the Round of 16, beating them 4-2 at home and then holding on with a 2-1 loss in the second leg. Roma were unfortunate not to have scored a third goal in the second game, which would have sent them through. But Lyon’s dominant performance in the first leg proved too much to overcome.
At least on paper, Besiktas should be an easier opponent. Their most notable player is Ricardo Quaresma, who made a name for himself at clubs like Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Porto. But at 33 years old, the flamboyant winger is not the player he used to be.
Instead, it’s younger players like midfielder Anderson Talisca and leading goal-scorer Cenk Tosun who have made the difference for Besiktas this season. The Turkish side may not be as well-known as Galatasaray or Fenerbahce, but they managed to win the Turkish Super Lig last season and are currently leading the league in points.
Lyon sits fourth in Ligue 1 with no real chance of advancing any further. They’re fourteen points below third-place Nice, so the best they can hope for is a Europa spot for next year.
They recently picked up Memphis Depay from Man U for a bargain €16 Million. Depay was a huge disappointment at Man U but he’s fitting in quite nicely at Lyon, and has already scored five goals in his seven appearances. He’ll be making his Europa League debut with Lyon against Besiktas.
Besiktas were helicoptered into the Round of 32 and have had an easy Europa League path up until now. Lyon aren’t having the best season so far, but if they play against Besiktas like they played against Roma in the last round, they should advance to the semi-finals without much trouble.
Pick: Lyon (-162)
Don Aguero is a man of many talents, writing about nearly anything you can put odds to. Don has been writing for SportsBettingDime since 2015, covering sports, entertainment and politics. You name it, he's covered it! He is also a steadfast West Ham fan, and has learned to embrace that suffering.
