Olympique Lyonnais prepares to face Manchester United this Thursday for the Europa League’s quarter-final return, a meeting that promises to be crucial for his hopes of qualifying in the semifinal. Nevertheless, a feeling of apprehension is hovering over the Rhodanian club, given the appointment of Sandro Schärer as the referee of this meeting. The Swiss referee had already played for OL in a previous quarter-final of the Europa League in 2022, a game that ended with a bitter defeat against West Ham on the score of 0-3, an experience that the players and fans of Lyon want to avoid reviving.

In parallel to this European match, Olympique Lyonnais is also preparing for a derby against AS Saint-Étienne, another major event of the season. For this meeting, François Letexier was appointed to arbitrate, adding an additional dimension to the expected intensity of this shock. The referee will also have to keep up with the matches, having already been in charge of the Real Madrid - Arsenal match in the Champions League the day before, testifying to the recognition of his skills at a European level.

The Manchester United match against Olympique Lyonnais, scheduled for Old Trafford, is a major challenge for both teams, the outcome of which remains uncertain. The prognosis is slightly in favour of Manchester United, but a draw is also possible. The Lyon club, aware of the recent history with referee Schärer and the difficulty of the trip, will have to mobilize all its resources to hope to win the qualification in the semi-final and pursue its dream of winning the Europa League.