Rafael on Manchester United-Lyon: ‘With the ball, I think Lyon are the better team.’ | OneFootball

Retired former Manchester United and Olympique Lyonnais fullback Rafael tells L’Équipe that he thinks the Premier League side will be “favourites” when his two former teams clash at Old Trafford for the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday.

Despite this, Rafael expects it to be an exciting game and points to the strengths of the Ligue 1 team. “With the ball, I think Lyon has a better team than United. They’re more technical, more intelligent. But the match takes place at Old Trafford, and United are the favourites.”

The match is well poised ahead of tomorrow night’s decider after the two teams battled to a 2-2 draw in Lyon. A goal from Thiago Almada opened the scoring for the Ligue 1 side before United took the lead with goals from Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee. It took a 95th-minute equaliser from Rayan Cherki to level the tie.

Whoever wins this match will face one of Athletic Club or Rangers in the semi-final. On the other side of the bracket, Lazio take on Bødo/Glimt, while Tottenham Hotspur face Eintracht Frankfurt.

GFFN | Nick Hartland