- Palace's only head-to-head win over Lyon (2-0) came in a senior friendly at home in 2023.
- Lyon have won their last two at home (W2, D0, L0), while Palace have drawn their last away (W0, D1, L0).
- The Eagles have won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five in all competitions.
Eagles can nick it in Lyon
Olympique Lyonnais are playing some decent football for Paulo Fonseca, but Crystal Palace can sneak a win at Groupama Stadium on Thursday when the two clubs meet in the Europa League 2026-2027. Les Gones have won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five in all competitions, while the Eagles are on two wins, one draw and two defeats in their most recent five.
That recent form, together with the fact that Palace won their only previous head-to-head meeting with Lyon in a 2-0 success at Selhurst Park in 2023, are the main reasons why we are taking Crystal Palace to come away with a surprise win at 2/1.
Fonseca's men have been impressive in France so far, however, winning both their home games and hitting six goals in two of their three most recent matches. Les Gones hammered Stade Rennes 4-0 at Groupama and were beaten 2-1 by RC Lens away from home in Ligue 1 2026/2027, while Palace drew 0-0 at Leeds, lost 2-0 to Bristol City at home and then beat Nottingham Forest 3-1.
Goals should come, but Palace can pinch the points
Over 2.5 goals at 13/20 looks good, but we will take BTTS No at 27/20 as the play here because Palace have the pace and power to keep Lyon from finding the net. Fonseca has his players playing a structured and efficient 4-2-3-1 system with possession-based football and trigger-based pressing.
Joergen Strand Larsen is Palace's hottest finisher, scoring three of their eight goals in the last five matches, while Chris Richards leads the club's European scoring chart with one goal this season. Lyon are a tough team to break down and the only edge they really have in Europe is Keito Nakamura, who has one goal in one Europa League match this season. Palace can be very direct and make the transitions into the front line quickly, which will cause Lyon problems if they overcommit.
Palace are second on three points from one game in UEFA Europa League 2026-2027, which is identical to Lyon's record as they sit 10th in the standings. Palace have some pace to score goals with while Lyon have Ernest Nuamah to add some bite in the front third, as the former has three goals in the club's last five games that have seen them score ten goals in total.
