9 minutes: Shot! From a Lyon player – about 30 yards out, blocked immediately. But they warm up and play their first menacing cross, with shots from the left, well defended by West Ham. Before 5 p.m. 20:10 8 minutes: Do you know how some games started with a thunderous pace? This is not one of them. Before 6 p.m. 20:09 7 minutes: Lyon entered the big area, with Dembele holding the ball well, like Loukakou, but again the final ball is bad. Before 7 p.m. 20:08 5 minutes: Gusto, the famous right-hander of Lyon, has enough time to take the cross, but he cooks it too much. Updated on 20.08 BST Before 9 p.m. 20:06 3 minutes: Lyon is relaxed, West Ham more direct. Antonio gets his head on a punt by Areola, but can not find Bowen with his move. Before 12 p.m. 20:03 1 minute: Lyon started the party with a few careful little passes. Before 13 p.m. 20:02 Declan Rice punches Lyon boss Moussa Dembele. Rice must avoid the yellow card if he wants to play in the second half. Before 15 pm 20:00 West Ham have won their last four home games in all competitions, their best series in ten years. However, Lyon have won their last six away games in the Europa League. He has to give something. Before 17 p.m. 19:58 The crowd absolutely loves it. London Stadium is rocking as it has not moved since the Rolling Stones played there a few years ago. Come on, Irons! Photo: Simon Dael / REX / Shutterstock Updated on 20.04 BST 18 minutes ago 19:57 Bubbles are blowing. And it was sung. before 27 p.m. 19:48 David Moyes talks to BT, he sounds calm. “A little different game,” he says, “It’s the first leg. “We would like to win, but it has not been settled tonight.” He says he chose Ryan Fredericks (from Ben Johnson) in part because of the rhythm of Karl Toko-Ekambi – who, he adds, is on the bench. 1 hour before 19:10
Teams: Lyon unchanged
Lyon (4-2-3-1;): Lopes? Gusto, Boateng, Lukeba, Emerson; Mendes, Ndombele; Faivre, Paqueta, Aouar; Dembele. Second: Pollerbeck, Da Silva, Denaye, Barcola, Enrique, Diboua, Ren-Adelaide, Barcola, Cantevere, Tete, Toco-Ekampi. 1 hour before 19:05
Teams: West Ham as expected
West Ham United (4-2-3-1): Areola? Fredericks, Dawson, Zouma, Cresswell; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Benrahma, Fornals; Antonio. Supporters: Fabianski, Johnson, Koufal, Masuaku, Diop, Ales, Noble, Kral, Perkins, Randolph, Vlasic, Yarmolenko. 1 hour before 19:00
Preamble
Good evening everyone and welcome to the biggest European game of West Ham since … Well, I did it in 1981. This did not go very well: after entering the quarterfinals of the Cup Winners’ Cup, they went and lost 4 -1 at home to Dinamo Tbilisi. But that was then, so long ago that one of their tactics was Frank Lampard (Senior). And that is now, when they just removed Sevilla, which is the holder of the Europa League. Manchester United, eat your heart out. David Moyes does not just look at United in the league table: he is still in Europe and he is not. But he will not allow himself much joy because his team is facing a difficult mission here. At 538.com, Nate Silver’s forecast engine, West Ham is favored to pass this round, but only by 55 percent to 45 percent. Lyon’s waltz in their group, winning five games and losing none. The last time they came to the UK, in September, they beat the mighty Rangers. They are naughty in Ligue 1, where they are ninth, but effective in Europa: in the last round, against Porto, they won 1-0 away before drawing 1-1 at home. It could be the strongest night at the London Stadium since the victory over Seville. The start is at 20:00, so I will be back soon after 7 with the teams.
