Lyon backed to edge Crystal Palace in Europa League as 1.57 shots market attracts attention

Olympique Lyonnais and Crystal Palace FC meet at the Groupama stadium on Thursday, 15 October 2026, with both sides having won their opening Europa League fixture. The match begins at 16:45 GMT, and consultant Nasser Eddy, from NCI Sport and a presenter of the European Champions League on radio Nostalgie, expects a closely fought contest that Lyon could win 2-1.

Lyon looking to respond

Olympique Lyonnais have made an encouraging start to the 2026-2027 campaign, suffering only two defeats in 11 official matches in all competitions. Their latest setback came on Friday, when Paulo Fonseca’s side lost 2-1 at Lens in the sixth round of Ligue 1 McDonalds.

That result was narrow and came against the reigning French runners-up, who had also beaten Paris Saint-Germain in the Trophee des Champions at the start of the season. Despite a difficult transfer window, Lyon have produced a more positive campaign than many expected.

The French side have scored at least once in 10 of their 11 competitive matches. Ernest Nuamah has contributed three goals and one assist in five league appearances, while Lyon have attempted at least 13 shots in each of their past three official games. They have, however, won fewer corners than their opponents in each of their last four matches and will need greater efficiency against Crystal Palace.

Palace remain difficult to predict

Crystal Palace began the season with two successive league defeats but have since gone three matches unbeaten in all competitions. That run includes a 4-0 victory over Lech Poznan in the opening round of the Europa League. The Eagles have won twice and drawn once during the sequence, conceding only one goal.

Their form remains inconsistent, though. Palace have recorded back-to-back victories only once this season and have generally alternated between wins, draws and defeats. They average fewer than three corners per match and have lost the possession battle in six of their past seven games.

When Palace have scored in their last three matches, the opening goal has arrived within the first 15 minutes. Jorgen Larsen has scored four times in his past five official appearances.

Guessand hoping for an opportunity

Evann Guessand endured a difficult individual campaign last season after moving from Aston Villa to Crystal Palace at the start of the year. His 2026-2027 season has been even more challenging, with only 54 minutes across two league appearances.

The Ajaccio-born forward has not played since 22 August and was an unused substitute in Sunday’s victory over Nottingham Forest. He was also not selected by Herve Renard for the latest FIFA window. However, rotation by Pierre Sage’s staff could give the Ivory Coast international a chance to feature in Lyon, where he will need to make the most of any minutes available.

The clubs have no competitive head-to-head history. Their only previous meeting was a friendly at Selhurst Park on 5 August 2023, when Crystal Palace won 2-0.

The key 1xBet prices are 2.21 for a Lyon victory, 8.5 for a 2-1 scoreline and 4.15 for Lyon to score between the first and 15th minutes. Fewer than 8.5 corners is priced at 2.53, while Lyon to win the shots-at-goal market is 1.57.

Ernest Nuamah is 3.3 to score at any time and Jorgen Larsen 2.6. Odds may change.