---
title: "Lyon vs Crystal Palace preview:  Team news, form & where to watch"
canonical: "https://readcrystalpalace.com/2026/10/14/lyon-vs-crystal-palace-preview-team-news/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Shumail Sajid"
section: "Crystal Palace Match Previews"
published: "2026-10-14T19:36:22Z"
modified: "2026-10-14T19:36:28Z"
---

# Lyon vs Crystal Palace preview: Team news, form & where to watch

**Crystal Palace next go to France on Thursday night for a Europa League meeting with Lyon, who are a familiar team to Pierre Sage, who made his name there as a manager before moving to Crystal Palace.**

[Pierre Sage](https://readcrystalpalace.com/tag/pierre-sage/) took charge of Palace’s Thursday opponents in November 2023 and led the French side through a remarkable turnaround before his time came to an end there in January 2025. He won the Coupe de France with Lens and was named Ligue 1 Manager of the Year last season before succeeding Oliver Glasner at [Selhurst Park](https://readcrystalpalace.com/tag/selhurst-park/) in June.

## **Lyon vs Crystal Palace: Team form and previous records**

[Crystal Palace](https://readcrystalpalace.com/tag/crystal-palace/) made an excellent start to their Europa League campaign, beating Polish champions Lech Poznan 4-0 in their first match in the competition. They have also won four and drawn one of their last six games across all competitions.

However, their away form remains a concern. The Eagles have managed just one win in their last eight away matches, drawing twice and losing five. They will need to improve on that record against a Lyon side who began their European campaign with a 2-1 victory away to Anderlecht.

Lyon have since suffered a setback, losing 2-1 at Lens on Friday. They have won eight of their 27 previous meetings with English clubs, drawing 10 and losing nine. However, they are playing Crystal Palace in a competitive match for the first time in their history.

Palace arrive in France as the reigning Conference League champions after beating Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in May’s final. They will be hoping that their European success from the previous season can carry into another difficult away game against Lyon.

## **Team news: Mateta and Henderson unavailable**

Sage has confirmed that Jean-Philippe Mateta will miss the trip as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury. The striker has only recently returned to full training after being sidelined since opening day.

Dean Henderson, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ben Chilwell will also miss out, while Chadi Riad remains unavailable.

“JP Mateta will not be here tomorrow,” Sage said.

“Dean Henderson too, Takehiro Tomiyasu too. Ben Chilwell too.”

The Palace manager added: “All the players out of the list have not travelled.

“Everybody else is here and available.”

There is better news regarding Axel Disasi, who is available after serving a domestic suspension. Ismaila Sarr is also in contention after being named on the bench against Nottingham Forest.

Lyon have their own injury problems. Belgian striker Openda is expected to miss at least a month after fracturing his fibula, while Nicolás Tagliafico is out for around three weeks. Mohamed Ouédraogo remains sidelined, but Moussa Niakhaté has returned to the squad after missing the Lens match.

## **Where to watch Lyon vs Crystal Palace**

The Europa League match takes place on Thursday, October 15, at Groupama Stadium.

| Match Details | Information |
| --- | --- |
| Match | Lyon vs Crystal Palace |
| Kick-off | 5:45 pm BST (6:45 pm local time) |
| Venue | Groupama Stadium, Lyon |
| UK TV | TNT Sports 1 |
| US Streaming | Paramount+ (12:45 pm ET) |