Alphonse Areola highlights Lyon stars West Ham need to keep an eye on
The Europa League might be the main attraction for West Ham now and they welcome Lyon to the London Stadium tomorrow for their quarter-final.
The Hammers have already dispatched of six-time winners Sevilla in the previous round and will be confident of getting past the Ligue 1 side for a place in the last four.
David Moyes has tended to play Alphonse Areola as his goalkeeper in the Europa League so far this season and it is assumed that he will do again for the visit of the team from his homeland of France.
The 29-year-old is on loan from PSG and has highlighted two of Lyon’s players that will need to be kept under wraps if West Ham are to win tomorrow evening.
“They have a few players that will be big for them in the quarter-finals,” he said, as quoted by the Evening Standard.
“They have Anthony Lopes as goalkeeper and he is a big part of their success. I would also mention Lucas Paquetá, the playmaker, as someone we need to contain.
“But I think we need to focus on looking after ourselves and not worry about the opposition. Of course, we are watching clips of how they play and how they will attack us, but it’s more important that we focus on what we have to do.”
Safe hands
Areola might not be Moyes’ first choice in the Premier League but he is still an exceptional shot-stopper in his own right.
When it comes to backup goalkeepers there might not be a better one anywhere in the Premier League and that is a very big tick against the Irons’ name.
Paqueta and Lopes are both players who can win games on their own but Areola is probably better than his opposite number and Declan Rice will keep the Brazilian playmaker quiet with no problem.
There is little for Moyes and West Ham to be worried about on the surface at least and progression to the semi-finals should be very achievable for the Irons.
A potential clash with Barcelona awaits the winner of this tie and a trip to the Nou Camp sounds like a very enticing prospect don’t you think?
In other West Ham news, another of the goalkeeper’s union at the club has been fined for a driving offence.
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