Paulo Fonseca senses how Lyon players are feeling after Andre Onana comments ahead of Europa League tie

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Lyon are determined to cause an upset in the Europa League by beating Manchester United.

Ruben Amorim will send out his Manchester United team to get a positive result in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals tie against Lyon on Thursday night.

The Portuguese coach’s first few months at Old Trafford have not gone entirely to plan, with the Reds still sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table after playing 31 matches.

While United’s domestic form has been shockingly poor throughout the season, the Reds remain unbeaten in the Europa League, after finishing third in the league phase and breezing past Real Sociedad in the round of 16.

The hosts on Thursday night have had a strong campaign domestically and in Europe. In the last round of the Europa League, they made light work of seeing off FCSB and will be aiming to continue their strong form against an inconsistent United.

Lyon motivated ahead of Manchester United clash

It could be argued that this tie is more significant to United because Lyon can still qualify for the Champions League by finishing their domestic campaign strongly.

That is the view of Lyon boss Paulo Fonseca, who spoke to reporters on Wednesday evening ahead of the game.

“We know it will be an important match for Manchester United, but it will also be a very important match for us,” Fonseca said, as quoted by Lyon’s official website.

“Perhaps even more decisive for them, because it is their only chance of getting a place in the European Cup.

“For our part, we have prepared for this match as if we are going to face the best possible Manchester United.”

Lyon didn’t need any extra motivation ahead of a Europa League quarter-final against United, but Andre Onana’s pre-match comments give them exactly that and they sparked a fiery reaction from Nemanja Matic.

Fonseca went on to state that he feels the motivation brewing in his players.

“I understand the players’ ambition, and I’m very happy about it, but as a coach, I have to maintain a certain balance,” the Portuguese coach added.

“We obviously want to win, but we also know that we are going to face one of the best teams in the world. This balance is essential at the moment. We will have opportunities, but we will have to remain lucid against a very high-level opponent.

“We have a lot of faith in our team and in our quality. We will be playing with the ambition to win. I sense real motivation in the group. We will be playing at home, with the support of our fans We want to give everything to win, and I feel that the team is ready.”

Lyon boss gives verdict on Ruben Amorim

Paulo Fonseca, who was recently given a nine-month suspension by the French League’s Disciplinary Committee, has had his say on Ruben Amorim.

Amorim has been in charge of United since November but results have yet to improve as the Reds sit 13^th in the Premier League table.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
11	Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace	30	11	10	9	39	35	4	43
12	BrentfordBrentford	31	12	6	13	51	47	4	42
13	Man UtdManchester United	31	10	8	13	37	41	-4	38
14	TottenhamTottenham	31	11	4	16	58	45	13	37
15	EvertonEverton	31	7	14	10	33	38	-5	35

However, that has not tarnished Amorim’s reputation among other coaches, with Fonseca praises his compatriot before they face off on the touchline.

When asked about Amorim, Fonseca said: “We have two games to play, and I know Ruben’s style very well. He is a coach who is difficult to destabilise. We will need to be balanced over both matches.

“Defending well will be essential if we want to create chances. We have worked on both defence and attack. Against a team managed by Ruben, maximum concentration is required.”