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Ajax Amsterdam hasn't won a major European title since winning the 1995 Champions League. But this could all change in just a few short weeks for Ajax if it can ultimately win the Europa League and claim a spot in next season's Champions League. The Dutch side though, still has to see off Lyon on French soil, and though the lead at the moment is surely comfortable, it's a margin that is far from definitive.
Don't miss the Europa League action from Parc Olympique Lyonnais at 3:05 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 11, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on FOX Sports 2.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Lyon -149
Ajax +350
Draw +320
Over/Under 3.5
Odds Analysis
If the first leg is any indication of what we're going to see back on French soil, there are going to be a tremendous amount of goals in this affair. There were five to speak of in Amsterdam, four of which went to Ajax, and that means Lyon needs three without response to get into the Europa League finale. The job is going to be a tough one for sure, but Lyon has been active around the goal over the course of the entire season, and that's why the total here is a ridiculously high 3.5.
Lyon, who was favored to come out of this home-and-home series 90 minutes of play ago, is now a -149 favorite to win the second leg, though obviously, it's facing long odds at almost 5 to 1 to get into the final.
The First Leg
It really was a shocking 4-1 loss for Lyon in Amsterdam. The French side probably thought this was going to be a relatively easy 180 minutes, and winning in the dome at Ajax, though not a given from the start, always felt like at least a very likely result.
Instead, it was Ajax who was on the front foot almost immediately. Bertrand Traore was phenomenal on this day, bagging a brace and helping the Dutch team to its 4-1 lead.
But the best player on the pitch was quite possibly young Kasper Dolberg, who is just 19-years old and played one of the biggest matches of his career. He'll be playing for bigger teams than this soon, but for now, the teenager picked up the second goal of the game for Ajax, setting the stage for what ended up being a 4-1 run out.
If there was any sense of reprieve for Lyon, it was that Mathieu Valbuena scored on 66 minutes. Even though Traore completed his double just five minutes later, there's a big difference between 4-1 and 3-0 in the Europa League. As a result, 3-0 would send Lyon through. Even just one goal in the first half could setup a nervy second 45 minutes for Ajax.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
This one isn't over quite yet. Maxwel Cornet, Alexandre Lacazette, Nabil Fekir and Valbuena are all capable of coming up with big offensive matches, and as we alluded to earlier, Ajax could feel a substantial amount of pressure with just one early goal from Lyon. If the French get the second on board? Look the heck out.
In the end, we've got no hesitations about Lyon winning this match over 90 minutes. Can it ultimately get into the Europa League Final? We aren't so sure that the answer to that isn't that they can. We'll call for the huge comeback for victory for Lyon, though obviously, we recognize that this is a ridiculous mountain to climb for a team that put itself into a huge hole in the first 90 minutes in Amsterdam.
Europa League Odds: Lyon 3, Ajax 0
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