So everything’s left to play for, which will make Matchday 5 in Group E très très intéressant.

(Our new mascot?)

November 24th, 2009
Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence
2:45 PM ET (20:45 CET, 19:45 GMT)

Match Background:

This is our fourth game against Fiorentina within the span of a single year, so I probably don’t need to go into detail about them (you can read the preview from match day one, which offers a bit more background). Instead, let’s get up to speed about what’s happened in the three months since the teams last met.

Currently, Fiorentina are 6th in the Serie A table. So far this season, they have accrued 21 points, with six wins, three draws, and four losses. They’ve scored 15 goals and conceded 12. Their top scorer is Alberto Gilardino, who’s notched six goals in domestic competition. In Europe, Fiorentina are sitting in second place in the Group E table, with three wins and one loss. They are tied for first place with Real Madrid with 11 goals scored, but they have also conceded 6 goals. Their top scorer in the CL is Adrian Mutu, with three goals to his name, though both Stevan Jovetic and Alberto Gilardino have also scored two a piece.

Like Lyon, Fiorentina flopped over the weekend, losing at home to Parma 2-3. Gilardino scored both of Fiorentina’s goals, so he is in top form. He also scored all three of Fiorentina’s goals against Lyon last season. They’re also in a bit of an injury crisis, so like us, they will be crossing their fingers over fielding a weakened team.

On the other side of the Alps, Lyon have been inexplicably turning down the opportunity to take over first place. Despite Bordeaux’s string of losses and draws, Lyon can do no better. Right now, they are in 3rd place in L1, behind Bordeaux and top of the table Auxerre (!!). They have 25 points, with seven wins, four draws, and two losses. They’ve scored 23 goals and conceded 17 (!!!!!!!). Ridiculous, right? Lyon’s top scorer in domestic competition is still Bafetimbi Gomis, with five goals. In Europe, Lyon are top of their group, with three wins and one draw. They’ve scored 8 goals and conceded 2. Lyon’s top scorer in Europe is Miralem Pjanic, who has two goals. Lyon’s other 6 goals came from six different scorers. Which is pretty impressive, fyi. Or disturbing, if you are a glass half empty person.

For the Math Geeks:

I had to use several complicated equations and my engineering calculator to tell you the various possibilities of the results of tomorrow’s game. It was the most math I’ve done since college. Which is sad because I’m a scientist, but that’s a story for another day (and another blog).

If Lyon win: They top group E. Their position is unassailable no matter what happens on Match Day 6.
If Lyon draw: They can still top their group as long as they beat Debrecen at the Gerland, even if Fiorentina beat Liverpool.
If Lyon lose: This is where it gets tricky because it depends on several factors. If Fiorentina win tomorrow, then Lyon must beat Debrecen while also hoping that Liverpool beat Fiorentina on Match day 6. If Fiorentina win both of their remaining games, then Lyon will be runners up in the group. If Fiorentina win tomorrow and then draw at Liverpool, and assuming Lyon beat Debrecen, then it will come down to the head-to-head record between Lyon and Fiorentina. Which means that it depends on the the margin of Fiorentina’s victory against Lyon as well as the goal differentials of both teams.

Liverpool also have a stake in this, as a Lyon victory would still give them a chance to qualify. Puel has promised Benitez that he won’t be fielding a weakened team just because Lyon have already qualified. It’s important that Lyon win their group because in the last five years, Lyon have gone out three times to the eventual champions. Finishing group winners would ensure a better draw, which might be the difference between further progress in the CL or not.

Both teams will do everything possible in order to win.

But Fiorentina don’t care about Lyon or Liverpool – they know that a victory for them tomorrow ensures their qualification. Anything less than that, and it all comes down to their final match at Anfield. It’s pressure that Prandelli and his players want to avoid at all cost, so they’ll be gunning for the full three points against Lyon.

There is also that small matter of their trampled feelings, as their last three encounters against Lyon saw them collect only one point. Two of those games were smothered in controversy – last year it was Lyon scoring when a Fiorentina player was down injured on the pitch, and this year it was Gilardino’s harsh red card for elbowing Toulalan in the face. So there might be some vengeful feelings on their parts. Maybe.

Team News:

Fiorentina have several injuries to contend with. The most notable ones are Adrian Mutu and Alessandro Gamberini, who will be watching from the stands. Stevan Jovetic has been declared fit enough to travel, but according to Prandelli, he will most likely be starting from the bench.

Le groupe de la Fiorentina: Avramov, Castillo, Comotto, Dainelli, De Silvestri, Donadel, Frey, Gilardino, Gobbi, Jorgensen, Jovetic, Kroldrup, Marchionni, Masi, Montolivo, Pasqual, Santana, Vargas, Zanetti.

Lyon’s injury situation is unsurprisingly more woeful. Jeremy Toulalan will be missing his first Champions League game since early last year due to groin problems. Mathieu Bodmer and Cleber Anderson are still out, and Maxime Gonalons, the latest sensation from the youth academy, is still recovering from a knock he picked up while on duty with the France U21 team. Worse yet, both Anthony Reveillere and Francois Clerc picked up injuries, so Lyon will be without any senior RB.

Le groupe lyonnais: Lloris, Vercoutre – Gassama, Cris, Boumsong, Seguin, Cissokho, Kolo – Makoun, Pjanic, Källström, Ederson, Grenier – Govou, Lisandro, Bastos, Delgado, Gomis, Tafer, Belfodil.

Lamine Gassama, Ishak Belfodil, Yannis Tafer, Nicolas Seguin, Clement Grenier, and Timothée Kolodziejczak (that’s over 20% of our team) will be making the jump from the CFAs to the senior team for this match.

Expected Lineup:

If I were Prandelli, I’d be telling my players to focus all their attacks on Lyon’s right flank, where Lamine Gassama is by far the weakest link in the defense. However, Gassama acquitted himself well against Liverpool and even in his other matches for the senior team, so I guess things aren’t quite that dire. Jean-Alain Boumsong, who’s made his return from injury just in time, will be partnering Cris in defense. Aly Cissokho will be on the left, and he should be well rested, as he didn’t play last weekend against Grenoble due to a suspension.

In midfield, I expect to see the usual triad of Jean II Makoun, Miralem Pjanic, and Kim Kallstrom, unless Puel decides to go wild and use a formation not called a 4-3-3. But I doubt it. This is Puel, after all.

Up front is the usual musical chairs. Lisandro Lopez is a definite starter, but Puel is going to have the tough task of deciding which of Sidney Govou, Bafetimbi Gomis, and Michel Bastos should be playing. And let’s not forget that Ederson and Cesar Delgado are also available.

Lloris
Gassama – Cris – Boumsong – Cissokho
Pjanic – Makoun – Kallstrom
Govou – Lisandro – Bastos

Oh, and speaking of Lisandro, he’s one yellow card away from a suspension. I imagine Puel will be asking him to pick up a harmless yellow tomorrow so that he can serve his suspension during the Debrecen game. Better he miss that game than a more dangerous one in the knockout stages.

Viewing Options:

If you’re in North America, this match will be live on Fox Soccer Channel. If you live abroad, I suggest you check your TV listings – I’m sure this game will be shown somewhere.

You can also give streaming a try. You can try to find a working here, or you can chuck out $10 and buy one from UEFA.com. Hopefully you’ll be able to find a good stream, as this is one of the bigger matches tomorrow. Remember, sharing is caring, and if you find a working stream, please share!

If you’d rather skip out on the streaming drama altogether, you can follow along on liveblog. Both Football365.fr and Lequipe.fr will have good ones, as will the OL website, where you can also follow along with free audio commentary – though be warned, it’s all in French. About an hour before the game starts, I will update post links to the actual liveblog.

ALSO, I’ve decided to do a liveblog of my own on the Lyon Offside. I enjoyed the one during the OL vs. OM game, and since I’ll be free tomorrow, I can host a liveblog without worry of workplace distractions. So expect to see another post put up tomorrow afternoon.

Expected Result:

Lyon have what it takes to get a win. But they can’t seem to do better than a draw these days. I’m going to bold and hope for a 1-0 win.

November 4th, 2009
Stade de Gerland, Lyon
2:45 PM ET (20:45 CET, 19:45 GMT)

Match Background:

There’s not much to say that hasn’t already been said by every media outlet known to man. While most are focusing on Liverpool’s financial woes, Rafa Benitez’s job security, and Fernando Torres’s hernia, some other websites are thoughtfully pointing out that injuries or not, statistics are still on Liverpool’s side. While Liverpool have won their last four away games in France, Lyon haven’t beaten an English side at home since 1967 (I’m not kidding, it was against Tottenham in the European Cup Winners Cup). Furthermore, where Lyon have a history of shooting themselves in the foot when qualification should be a piece of cake, Liverpool have qualified for the Champions League from even worse positions. Then again, that’s in the past. Lyon already changed things around when they beat Liverpool at Anfield (previously they had only ever defeated Everton while on English soil). Who knows, maybe this Lyon can do some more revisions to the good ol’ history textbook.

So let’s talk about the present. Since OL’s trip to Anfield, Liverpool interrupted their shit streak by defeating Manchester United two weeks ago, but they also found the time to lose to Arsenal in Carling Cup and to Fulham in the league. They are currently sitting in 6th place in the EPL table with 16 points, having notched six wins, five losses, and zero draws. They are nine points behind league leaders Chelsea. Domestically, they’ve scored 25 goals and conceded 16. Their top scorer is Fernando Torres, who’s been on the score sheet ten times for Liverpool in the league. In the Champions League, they are still in third place, with one win and two losses. They’ve scored 2 goals and conceded 4. Their two goal scorers so far have been Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun.

Lyon have dropped back down to 2nd place in L1, thanks to two rather embarrassing losses to Sochaux and Nice. With 23 points, they have seven wins, two draws, and two losses. Lyon have scored 17 goals and conceded 11. In the league, the top scorer is Bafetimbi Gomis, who’s scored 5. In Europe, Lyon top their group with 9 points, three points ahead of Fiorentina and six ahead of Liverpool. They’ve scored six goals and conceded only one. However, what’s different about this year is that Lyon’s goals are coming from all over the pitch – there were six different scorers for Lyon’s seven goals (Miralem Pjanic was the player who scored twice). Whether that indicates strength or vulnerability, I’ll leave up to you.

I feel compelled the mention that Lyon’s previously awesome home form in the Champions League – Fortress Gerland, if you will – hasn’t been that great for us in recent years. Of the 8 home games in the last two seasons, Lyon won only two of those, losing another 2, and drawing four. Prior to that, Lyon had 25 home wins out of 27. But again, I should remind myself that ancient history is mostly irrelevant to the players and the manager (most of who haven’t been around that long). Only fans care about stuff like that, and it’s not like I’m going to be on the pitch (well, at least not yet, but if Lyon keep losing defenders…).

If Lyon win tomorrow, they’ll have qualified for the knockout rounds, and all that will be left to play for is who the group winner will be, which would then be decided in the Fiorentina match. If Lyon draw tomorrow, they will still retain their lead in the group, but Fiorentina (assuming they win in Debrecen) will only be a point behind, and Liverpool four points behind, so things could get tricky. Claude Puel wants a win, and so do the players, if only to avoid the headache of qualification stress in the next few weeks. Also keep in mind that both Marseille and Bordeaux won their games today, so if Lyon win tomorrow, it’ll be two weeks in a two where all French clubs are victorious – and when was the last time that happened?

Team News:

Almost everyone on Rafa’s Christmas card list is battling some form of injury, though some are closer to fitness than others. Steven Gerrard will probably be getting prepped for the operating table instead of watching tomorrow’s game on television while Alberto Reira, Glen Johnson, Fabio Aurelio, Martin Skrtel, and Martin Kelly will be sitting outside in the waiting room. On the other hand, Fernando Torres and Alberto Aquilani passed late fitness tests and are likely to feature in tomorrow’s match. I doubt that either will be on for the full 90 minutes (especially Torres, who wouldn’t be playing if Liverpool’s situation weren’t so dire). But despite all the noise Liverpool have been making, they’re really only missing three players who started against Lyon last week, and one of them, Gerrard, didn’t play that long anyway. I stated this before, but I think Rafa’s injury fears are more intox than anything else.

Le groupe de Liverpool: Reina, Cavalieri – Carragher, Ayala, Darby, Insua, Agger, Kyrgiakos – Kuyt, Lucas, Benayoun, Aquilani, Babel, Mascherano, Spearing, Plessis – Ngog, Voronin, Torres

Across the channel, Francois Clerc has suddenly – and inexplicably – come down with a knee injury. The conspiracy theorist me in thinks it might have something to do with this, but Puel tends to be level headed about these things, and with Anthony Reveillere having issues as well (he had to pull out of the St. Etienne match), I’m hoping it’s nothing serious. Also missing are the three usual suspects – Mathieu Bodmer, Jean-Alain Boumsong, and Cleber Anderson. Honestly, I don’t care what Rafa says about his problems, but at least he has healthy CBs – Lyon don’t even have that. Cris isn’t the healthiest of players while Jeremy Toulalan is playing with a slight injury to his groin, and he really ought to be resting and healing, but Puel has no other options, unfortunately.

Lloris, Vercoutre – Cris, Réveillère, Abenzoar, Gassama, Cissokho, Kolodziejczak, Toulalan – Gonalons, Makoun, Källström, Pjanic, Bastos, Delgado, Ederson, Govou – Belfodil, Tafer, Gomis, Lisandro

Lots and lots of kiddies on this list. Timothée Kolodziejczak, Maxime Gonalons, Ishak Belfodil, and Yannis Tafer, who traveled to Anfield with the senior squad, will be joined by fellow CFA-ers Loic Abenzoar and Lamine Gassama.

Expected Lineup:

It’s mostly predictable. Our defense and midfield are pretty much a lock, so as usual the only variation is up front. Actually, Puel couldn’t even get creative if he tried. With Francois Clerc out, our entire back line has no back ups (unless you count the kids, which I don’t). And since Puel doesn’t use Michel Bastos and Ederson as midfield players, as long as Jeremy Toulalan plays in the back, our midfield has no backups either.

It’s pretty crazy, and it just goes to show that Lyon are a top-heavy team. We have far more attacking options than any other position on the pitch.

We know that Lisandro will start; the question is, will Bafetimbi Gomis start alongside of him? Puel tends to use Gomis as a second half sub, which certainly has his merits, but it’s also true that Lisandro has an easier time when there is another striker for him to play next to. Sidney Govou, captain or not, seems likely to start, but Michel Bastos is still returning from injury, and like Lisandro, has yet to regain his earlier form. Ederson started at Anfield, so he is also an option. Cesar Delgado seems to serve better as a player off the bench, so I don’t expect him to feature until the second half.

Lloris
Reveillere – Cris – Toulalan – Cissokho
Pjanic – Makoun – Kallstrom
Govou – Lisandro – Bastos

Viewing Options:

If you’re in North America, this match will be live on Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Soccer Channel Espanol, Setanta Sports Canada, ITV, and DirecTV. It will be on tape delay at 5 PM on Setanta US. If you live abroad, I suggest you check your TV listings – I’m sure this game will be shown somewhere.

You can also give streaming a try. You can try to find a working here, or you can chuck out $10 and buy one from UEFA.com. Hopefully you’ll be able to find a good stream, as this is one of the bigger matches tomorrow. Remember, sharing is caring, and if you find a working stream, please share!

If you’d rather skip out on the streaming drama altogether, you can follow along on liveblog. Both Football365.fr and Lequipe.fr will have good ones, as will the OL website, where you can also follow along with free audio commentary – though be warned, it’s all in French.

Expected Result:

WIN! WIN! WIN! (I’m banking on Lyon, obviously!). Allez Lyonnais!

Just some random odds and ends for you to read as you bide your time waiting for Lyon’s Champions League clash with Liverpool.

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<— Sid’s Serious Captain-y Face.

If you’re wondering why the captain’s armband showed up on Cris last Saturday, despite Sidney Govou also being on the pitch, it’s because our dear (former?) captain was seen drunk in public only two nights before the derby. He was at the Grand Prix de tennis de Lyon (part of the ATP World Tour, for you tennis junkies) with Remy Vercoutre, Florent Laville, and Sylvain Wiltord, another ex-Lyon bad boy. Sadly, pictures of a wasted Govou have yet to circulate on the internet (damn French media – in England they have no scruples about this sort of thing), but video tapes have made their way to Claude Puel’s desk.

Puel wasn’t very happy and took away Govou’s armband, though no word yet on whether this is a permanent change. Puel was pragmatic enough to realize that captain or not, Govou was needed on the pitch, which is why he was in the starting XI against St. Etienne. For Puel, it seems the matter is closed, but Jean-Mimi naturally had more to say. While he did say that Govou is willing to make amends, Aulas also called his leadership abilities into question and said that he’d consider Govou’s punishment carefully. Aulas met with him on Sunday to discuss the situation with him.

I guess this probably seems like an overreaction from Lyon, but given Govou’s hard partying history – and don’t forget that he was arrested for drunk driving less than a year ago – it’s no surprise that the club is so concerned.

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Just for lulz.

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I was going to write about the latest blow to French football’s eternal quest for equality on the global markets, but since Xavier of the Lens Offside has already done such an excellent job in telling us why getting rid of the DIC is really bad news for Ligue 1, I figure, why reinvent the wheel?

Aulas is desperately sounding the alarm. According to him, this change will mean that Lyon lose an extra €6m a year. It doesn’t seem like a lot, at least on the surface, but keep in mind that France already has really strict rules on club finances. Aulas fears that he may not be able to offer extensions to Sidney Govou, Francois Clerc, and other players nearing the ends of their contracts.

Also, here is a great interview (in English!) of Jean-mimi on UEFA.com.

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Kader Keita is the latest ex-OL player to accuse the club of mistreating him. Honestly, all these disgruntled former players make Lyon sound like an abusive ex-husband. Should I be more disturbed?

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I have so much love for these two. Bafe and Lisandro are this, but without the ~dramah~.

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The two latest recruits at Lyon are Norwegian pair Christine Colombo Nilsen and Isabell Hervolsen Both women left Kolbotn for OL Féminines, though their transfer fee remains undisclosed. They were signed just in time for them to be eligible for the club’s CL match against Fortuna Hjørring. Along with Arsenal and Bayern Munich, Lyon are one of three clubs that are still represented in both the men’s and women’s UEFA Champions League. Let’s hope that one of them actually win the damn trophy this time.

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The spot for a third blogger on the Lyon Offside still remains open. John and I post when we can, but I know many of you would prefer more frequent updates. If you think you can post at least once a week, have decent grammar, and are such a diehard fan that you want to share your love of OL with the rest of the world, please read this post.

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Phrase of the day week month: “The unstoppable groin-pocalypse going on at Lyon….What in the name of Cleber’s crotch is going on here?” Found on Dirty Tackle.

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Most of the major roadblocks in the development of OL Land have been removed, as 74% of the population of Greater Lyon are in favor of the new stadium. The biggest obstacle has had to do with the construction of more public transportation to the Decines area, or more accurately, the funding of that new transportation. Right now, there is one dinky tram line that goes out there, which is not enough to support the amount of people expected to utilize public transportation to get to the games (which is estimated at 65%). Some citizens don’t want the city to take on the added burden of these costs (OL wouldn’t be paying for it as it’s the city’s expense), though others argue that the area has long been in need of new train lines regardless, and that the increased revenue to the businesses in the area would make up for the expenses.

In any case, Aulas expects the final plans to be approved this spring, and that applications for the building permits will be completed by fall next year. The expected date of the new stadium is December 8th, 2013.

Lyon have also launched a new website that will keep everyone up to date with the latest news and pictures of the stadium. The site is chock full of interesting stuff, like details about the stadium’s eco-friendly design, the transportation and traffic surveys, a map showing all the sites of interest, and information on how the stadium will be funded (€450m from OL and its private partners and an additional €180m from public funds for transportation purposes).

The architectural firm chosen by Aulas is Populous (formerly HOK Architecture). They have a lot of impressive projects to their name, so we can expect good things from them.

And of course, the photos. I don’t think I’ve posted these pictures before. If you want to see the other pics I’ve posted of the new stadium, just click of the “OL Land/New Stadium” category on the right.

(click to enlarge)

Pure Joy.

People might say, “Oh but Liverpool didn’t have their two star players,” but then Lyon didn’t have any central defenders. So I’d call that an even handicap. Liverpool are one of the biggest teams in the world, so I don’t buy their weak bench as an excuse when theoretically, ours ought to be weaker than theirs (though that is arguably not the case). At any rate, what it boiled down to was this: Lyon played for the full 93 minutes, and Liverpool didn’t.

The match itself was fairly even. I don’t think one side outplayed the other, as both Liverpool and Lyon went through phases of domination. There could have been a lot more goals for the two teams, but both goalkeepers were on top of things. Both squads also lost an important player to injury in the first half – Steven Gerrard and Cris. For those of you who don’t know, Cris decided to tackle Dirk Kuyt’s knee with his head and had to be taken out because they feared he had had a concussion.

Puel replaced Cris with youth player Maxime Gonalons. With Jeremy Toulalan already playing as a CB, Gonalons, a DM by trade, was forced into playing a strange position for his CL debut. But he responded well to the pressure and scored the first goal.

I might not have agreed with Puel’s starting XI (Ederson, really?), but his choice of subs was inspired. Bafetimbi Gomis might not have scored, but he and Lisandro wore down a tired Liverpool defense and made Cesar Delgado’s last gasp goal possible.

WTF were you thinking, Cris?

Other positives: Hugo Lloris was awesome! I’ll be remembering that save from Fabio Aurelio’s header for a long time. Sidney Govou had Emiliano Insúa in his back pocket for the entire match, and it was his cross that led to Delgado’s goal. Kim Kallstrom once again put in a steady performance, as did Toulalan and Lisandro. The fullbacks were decent though I’ve definitely seen them do better. Jean II Makoun looked a bit lost at times, and did Ederson.

But the biggest shout out has to go to the fans who traveled all the way to England. It was amazing to hear their chants drown out those of the Liverpool supporters, especially those after the first OL goal. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have thought that the game was taking place at the Stade de Gerland!

All in all, it was a solid game and a fully deserved victory. Right now, Lyon top their group with nine points out of a possible nine. There are still three games remaining, two of which are at home. Lyon have 90% qualified for the knockout rounds and are favorites to top their group.

Some highlights:

Kongo Kim sees Rafa sneaking into the Lyon training session.

October 20th, 2009
Anfield, Liverpool
2:45 PM ET (20:45 CET, 19:45 GMT)

Match Background:

I don’t care what EPL fans say about how winning their league is more important than progressing in Europe, it’s crucial for Liverpool to at least qualify for the knockout rounds, or else he’ll be short 20 million euros during the next summer transfer window. So even though Liverpool have a massive game against Manchester United next weekend, you can bet that all of Rafa Benitez’s attention will be on tomorrow’s game. Unfortunately, that puts OL in a tougher position – instead of facing a somewhat complacent team, they’ll have to face extra determined players. For Liverpool, it’s imperative that they win all their games at home if they want to keep their dreams of qualifying alive.

Lyon, obviously, have different plans. Claude Puel has his own tough schedule to contend with, with matches against St. Etienne, Marseille, and Liverpool again within the next month, so for OL, the sooner they can earn those 11 points (which is about what we’d need to safely qualify for the knockout stages), the better. But before we get into all that, let’s talk about those Reds.

Their season so far has been lukewarm at best, and having lost their last three matches (to Fiorentina, Chelsea, and Sunderland, respectively), Liverpool have fallen seven points behind league leaders Manchester United. Rafa is desperate to get things back on track, and he’ll be hoping that tomorrow’s game, which is at home for them, will be the place to start. I’m not going to talk too much about them, since as a club, they are fairly well known, but for those who are like me and therefore completely ignorant of football outside of France, I’ll just touch on some of their key players.

Team captain Steven Gerrard is probably the one to watch out. A Liverpool youth product (crazy, I know), he has a ton of European experience and even a CL trophy under his belt. For a midfielder, he gets quite a few goals, both from in the box and from a distance. Javier Mascherano, who was out for a while due to injury, is back to full fitness. And let’s not forget their goalkeeper Pepe Reina, as well as Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel (whom Lyon almost bought a few years ago), who can be potent goal threats. Also of note is the presence of Damien Plessis, a Lyon youth product who left France two summers ago in search of more playing time. As for their coach, Rafa is no slouch in the tactics department, having maneuvered Liverpool to two CL finals, one of them which he won. He’s known for extensively researching opposition teams down to the last detail (and perhaps too strong of an attachment to the concept of squad rotation…).

Currently, they’re in 8th place in their domestic championship, having accumulated 15 points. They’ve notched five wins and four losses, having scored 22 goals and conceded 13. In the Champions League so far, they won their first match against Debrecen thanks to a single goal from Dirk Kuyt, and they lost their second game to Fiorentina thanks to the crazy powers of Steven Jovetic.

Going back to Lyon, Puel will also be hoping that the weekend defeat to Sochaux – the first loss of the season – won’t put a damper on the momentum Lyon have gained over the last two months. Juggling with injuries has made things tough in recent weeks, but thankfully, Lyon’s main rivals have been having problems of their own, so the L1 title race is still wide open. Right now, Lyon are tied in 1st place with surprise package Montpellier. Bordeaux are a point behind in second while Marseille are three points behind (but in 5th place). OL have won six games, drawn two, and lost one, having scored 15 goals and conceded 7. Their performance in the CL has been good so far, with two wins out of two, six goals scored and none conceded.

Tomorrow will no doubt be a tense match for both sides – Liverpool fearing their chances of qualification and Lyon needing to convincingly win against a big team abroad. The two clubs have never played each other (not even in a friendly!), but instead of being nervous, OL players are excited because they’re visiting a stadium they’ve never played in before. The Champions League is all about magic, so let’s hope we’ll see some tomorrow night!

Team Info:

The big question mark leading up to this match has naturally involved Liverpool. Both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres picked up groin injuries during international week, but while Gerrard was able to shake his off, Torres will be missing tomorrow’s match. Sotiris Kyrgiakos and Alberto Aquilani will also be watching from the sidelines as they recuperate from knee and ankle injuries.

Le groupe de Liverpool: Reina, Cavalieri – Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Skrtel, Insua, Aurelio, Dossena – Benayoun, Riera, Gerrard, Mascherano, Lucas, Darby, Plessis, Spearing – Babel, Voronin, Kuyt, Ngog

So there is some good news and bad news if you are a Lyon fan. The good news is that Lisandro Lopez and Michel Bastos are back. Cris has also shaken off last week’s injury scare, and Jeremy Toulalan is still healthy and as-of-yet unsuspended. The bad news is that Mathieu Bodmer, Jean-Alain Boumsong, and Cleber Anderson - three of Lyon’s four CBs – are still out. To make things even more unbelievable, the usual defenders whom Puel calls up from the CFA team are also injured. Sebastien Faure, Nicolas Seguin, and Thomas Fontaine are also out.

I’ve come to the conclusion that the real reason Lyon never sign any defenders because that position on our team is cursed.

Le groupe lyonnais: Lloris, Vercoutre – Cris, Réveillère, Clerc, Cissokho, Kolodziejczak – Toulalan, Källström, Gonalons, Makoun, Pjanic, Bastos, Delgado, Ederson, Govou – Belfodil, Tafer, B.Gomis, Lisandro

Besides Timothée Kolodziejczak, Puel doesn’t even have any replacements for the missing defenders. Maxime Gonalons, Ishak Belfodil, and Yannis Tafer will also be accompanying the senior team, but don’t expect any of them to play.

Expected Lineup:

We’ll definitely be seeing Jeremy Toulalan partner Cris in central defense. On the right, I expect to see Anthony Reveillere, and on the left, Aly Cissokho, who has turned into Mr. Champions League. In the middle, Kim Kallstrom was rested over the weekend so that he would be fit for tomorrow, as was Miralem Pjanic, who only came on towards the end of Lyon’s game against Sochaux. Those two are logical starters to accompany Jean II Makoun, who will be the lone DM. There is also the possibility of utilizing Francois Clerc in right midfield, but I don’t think it would be wise to chance it, not if it means we have to sacrifice Pjanic.

Up front, it’s the deadly trio (who weren’t at all deadly last Saturday) of Lisandro Lopez, Bafetimbi Gomis, and Michel Bastos. The only change I can imagine is if Puel drops Gomis to put in Clerc at RW.

Lloris
Reveillere – Cris – Toulalan – Cissokho
Pjanic – Makoun – Kallstrom
Bastos – Gomis – Lisandro

Viewing Options:

Ironically, now that ESPN no longer has Champions League viewing rights, the usual English domination of CL broadcasting has ended, as Fox Soccer Channel makes more of an effort to show games from a variety of leagues. Which means that Lyon will not be broadcast live in the US. The only way to watch it live is if you A) live in another country with better broadcasting rights, B) subscribe to DirectTV, Sportsnet Ontario, or Skysports HD, or C) are actually going to Anfield. Otherwise, you can wait until 10 PM Eastern time for FSC to show the match on tape delay.

OR, you can foray into the unreliable world of streaming. You can try to find a working here, or you can chuck out $10 and buy one from UEFA.com. Hopefully you’ll be able to find a good stream, as this is one of the bigger matches tomorrow. Remember, sharing is caring, and if you find a working stream, please share!

If you’d rather skip out on the streaming drama altogether, you can follow along on liveblog. Both Football365.fr and Lequipe.fr will have good ones, as will the OL website, where you can also follow along with free audio commentary – though be warned, it’s all in French. (About an hour before the match, I’ll update this section with the links to the liveblogs.)

Expected Result:

Even without Torres, Liverpool are a dangerous side to face with a lot of attacking threats. And it’s not like Lyon have the optimum defensive cover. BUT…I think Lyon can manage to get at least a point out of tomorrow’s trip. The most important thing is for the players to keep their cool and not allowed themselves to get intimidated by the stakes.

The biggest news is the medical update on Bafetimbi Gomis. Two days ago at Guingamp, Gomis collapsed during practice with the France squad. He was out for a minute or two but revived enough to walk out of the field. He apparently felt fine afterward, and though the team doctor insisted he stay off his feet for the rest of the day – and though his fellow players were scared shitless – he’s been cleared to go back to full training today.

Gomis periodically suffers from Vasogoval episodes, which is a malaise of the vagus nerve. Certain situations can trigger attacks, which is stress, in Gomis’s case. Jean-Michel Aulas raised the red flag stating how alarmed he is over Gomis’s health – this is his third attack since joining Lyon – but Emmanuel Ohrant, OL’s club doctor, says that Gomis is just fine. His health is carefully monitored, and he does not have any heart problems, which is the number one worry in these situations. He undergoes frequent medical checkups, and so far, the club is satisfied with the state of his health. Ohrant even points out that not only were Lyon aware of this issue before they signed Gomis, but that St. Etienne knew about it before they offered him a pro contract, so it is clearly not that much cause for concern.

All the same, it’s still scary to think about, especially when footballer deaths seem to be occurring on an almost yearly basis. While I do trust both OL and Le Bleus when they say that Gomis is fine, it’ll take a long time before this picture is wiped from my memory.

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Here is a quick run down of all the international action involving OL players.

France (vs. Faroe Islands – 10/10/09, vs. Austia – 10/14/09): Jeremy Toulalan, Hugo Lloris, Sidney Govou, Bafetimbi Gomis.

France U21 (vs. Netherlands – 10/09/09, vs. Belgium(h) – 10/12/09, vs. Belgium (a) – 10/14/09): Clement Grenier, Yannis Tafer, Thimothée Kolodziecziak, Alexandre Lacazette

Cameroon (vs. Togo – 10/10/09, vs. Angola – 10/14/09): Jean II Makoun

Sweden (vs. Denmark – 10/10/09, vs. Albania – 10/14/09): Kim Kallstrom

Bosnia (vs. Estonia – 10/10/09, vs. Spain – 10/14/09): Miralem Pjanic

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On to the good news. OL Féminines, who are participating in Europe for the third year in a row, defeated Serbian club Masinac to reach the Round of 16 in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. The ladies defeated Masinac 1-0 at home and then beat them 5-0 away (check out this link on the main webpage for lots of pictures). They’ll be facing Danish side Fortuna Hjørring in the next round. For those of you who keep track of women’s football, UEFA overhauled this tournament, renaming it from the previous moniker, the Women’s Cup, and also changing around the format so that it was closer to the men’s format.

I’m also pleased to report that Aulas continues to take OL Féminines seriously – not only is he still continuing to let them use the Stade de Gerland for their European and major domestic matches, but he’s continuing his policy of aggressive recruiting and extensive financial support. Many of the women are now on pro-contract, and he’s trying to lure in more players from abroad. The latest target is Kolbotn’s goalkeeper and Norweigian international Christine Colombo Nilsen, who is being considered to replace Sarah Bouhaddi, France’s #1 gk. Bouhaddi herself was brought on this past summer (ironically to replace Bente Nordby, Norway’s previous #1), but due to an injury she picked up, she’ll be out for six months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The FFF had a great article on its website about the long standing friendship between Yannis Tafer and Clement Grenier, two of the youth players Puel is integrating into the senior squad. The article provides a nice look into their experiences and insights of growing up together in Lyon’s training center. Reading it, I got the feeling that these two are being groomed as the next Karim Benzema/Hatem Ben Arfa duo, which would be great on one hand, but on the other hand (all that ~dramah~), maybe it’d be better to let the boys grow up without the shadows of their currently troubled predecessors looming over them.

*Bonus question: Who is the next Samir Nasri to complete the latest golden trio?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And since we’re on the subject of young prodigies, I’m sure you’ve all heard by now of Karim Benzema’s now famous interview in which he admitted to not trying very hard for both France and Lyon. He also blamed Claude Puel as the reason for his leaving (yeah right). Raymond Domenech is pissed while Jean-mimi is patting himself on the back for getting rid of Benzema before his megalomania began taking serious effect – and for 35 million euros, no less.

I’m rather sad about Benzema’s words because until last season, he was such a hard working and humble kid. He loved OL, and we loved him. But the press and stardom got to him, and pretty soon he was thinking that he was bigger than the club. Regardless of that, I was still upset to see him leave this past summer, but it looks like Lyon’s strategy of cutting loose players has once again worked out. Because for all of Benzema’s talents, his attitude would have further poisoned the atmosphere among the players, and no amount of goals would make that worthwhile (plus, it’s not like Benzema was all that great last season anyway). It was time for him to leave and time for OL to lose their dependence on him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hugo Lloris has been voted September’s Player of the Month by the L’Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels (UNFP). Lloris beat out team mate Bafetimbi Gomis and Bordeaux’s Alou Diarra. I don’t think there’s anyone out there who can say that Lloris doesn’t deserve it – he’s been the best player in L1 this past month, and his performances in the Champions League have been equally impressive. Despite picking up a harsh red card against Serbia during France’s WC qualifiers this past month, he still remains an integral part of Domenech’s plans, and most expect him to continue being the first gk choice over Steve Mandanda.

Buttttttttt…

I happened to watch Lloris’s latest interview on the FFF website, and wow, that was cringe-worthy. Somehow, he’s managed to pick up Jeremy Toulalan’s bad camera habits. The poor boy can’t stop touching his face (nor can he look into the camera) during his less than three minute interview. The entire time I was watching it, I was having nightmare flashbacks to this video. You all know how much I adore both Lloris and Toulalan, but really, someone needs to tie their hands down and keep their eyes up any time they give an interview.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lyon’s new stadium, which still hasn’t left the drawing board yet, has been officially selected by France’s Euro 2016 committee as one of the 12 sites for the games. While France hasn’t officially been named as hosts, their competitors are Sweden/Norway, Turkey, and Italy. The first two have never hosted the Euros while Italy’s financial situation is rather dire at the moment, which makes France the favorites.

Aulas is hoping to get the final plans approved, though the stadium being selected as part of the tournament will no doubt speed the process along. The costs have jumped up another one hundred million, raising the estimated costs to 350 million euros. In addition, Aulas is working with the city to address the issue of accessibility to the new stadium site, which is the biggest concern among those opposed to the project.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And to cap off this massive post, here are the latest transfer fallacies blurbs.

*Inter Milan is keeping tabs on Jeremy Toulalan and may make a move for him either this January or the next summer. They need to replace their aging DMs, and France has proved to be the best source of those. While I’m tempted to brush this off, I worry over how long we’ll be able to keep Toulalan, who said that he has no plans to leave any time soon and definitely not until after the World Cup. Personally, he’s one of the players I want to keep at OL for life, and so hopefully Aulas will do whatever it takes to keep Toulalan at Lyon.

*At least Ederson has denied that he’s tempted by the cow eyes that Inter has also been making at him, though unlike Toulalan, I don’t anticipate Ederson to stay at OL for more than another two years or so. For now, Ederson is happy at OL (though he is chafing at losing his starting place), but Inter have been following him for over a season, and Jose Mourinho is no stranger when it comes to buying expensive players from OL.

*Manchester City’s interest in Miralem Pjanic gave me a good laugh. If Pjanic leaves, it won’t be for a while and not for Manchester City. And DEFINITELY not for 5 million pounds.

*Marouane Chamakh has finally put an end to rumors of a potential move to Lyon. In all honesty, this hasn’t been a serious option for the past few years, but Aulas really likes him and has wanted him at OL for a long time. But Chamakh says that while a transfer to OL was enticing a a few seasons back, he can’t imagine playing for another French club anymore, so when he does leave Bordeaux, it’ll be for a club abroad.

*While this isn’t exactly a transfer rumor, Mathieu Bodmer said recently that he doesn’t regret changing positions from midfield to central defense. It’s a fairly lengthy interview full of details, but the salient points are that he gets more playing time as a CB and that his bust up with Puel (which occurred before he left Lille, a full year before Puel followed him to Lyon) is old history, and that the two have a completely professional relationship. Which basically means that Puel is on the bottom of his Christmas card list. But at least Bodmer isn’t trying to move to another club, which is often the case when players are forced to play in positions they don’t really like.

Smells like team spirit in Hungary.

September 29, 2009
Ferenc Puskás Stadium, Budapest
2:45 PM ET (20:45 CET)

Match Background:

Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about Debrecen (in fact, I’m not even sure how to pronounce the name) or their players. What I can tell you is that they are the current Hungarian champions and have won their domestic title four times in the last five years. They are Champions League debutants, as this is the first time they have made it out of the qualification rounds.

They’ve worked hard to get to this point – they had to start out in the second qualifying round, where they beat Swedish side Kalmar FF on aggregate to make it to the third qualifying round. Then they beat on Polish team Levadia Tallinn and finally made it to the Playoffs, where they soundly trumped Levski Sofia 4-1 on aggregate.

If that wasn’t enough, they managed a very respectable 1-0 loss at Anfield against Liverpool during the first CL match day, so if Debrecen’s determination wasn’t obvious before, it is then. While the Hungarians aren’t expecting to make it to the next round, they do have their sights set on third place, which will give them a chance at the UEFA Cup.

Domestically, they’ve been doing pretty well, managing 6th place in a very tight league table. Of their seven games so far, they’ve won five, drawn one, and lost one. They have some injured players, but their manager is confident that their replacements are up to the task. And given that Debrecen’s knowledge of Lyon far exceeds Lyon’s knowledge of Debrecen, the Hungarians have the advantage in that respect.

As for Lyon, they are still in second place and still two points behind Bordeaux. They defeated Toulouse last weekend 2-1, and prior to that, they managed a score draw at PSG and a barely-there victory at home against Fiorentina. Lyon will be hoping to go back to their high-goal scoring ways, but with their own spate of injuries, keeping a clean sheet while managing a win will be Puel’s priority.

Team News:

Cleber Anderson will be undergoing surgery for his ongoing knee problems, so it’s fair to say that we won’t be seeing him for the rest of the year. Jean-Alain Boumsong is still recuperating from the groin injury he picked up a few weeks ago, and he is joined by fellow defender Mathieu Bodmer, who picked up the same injury against Toulouse on Saturday. Michel Bastos is still out from the ankle injury he receiving during the Fiorentina match, Cesar Delgado is out due to a niggling thigh injury, and Lisandro Lopez is being allowed to recuperate from a groin injury that never fully healed from the knock he received during the last international break.

Le groupe lyonnais: Lloris, Vercoutre – Réveillère, Clerc, Seguin, Cris, Cissokho, Kolodzieczak – Makoun, Toulalan, Källström, Gonalons, Pjanic, Govou, Ederson – Tafer, Grenier, Gomis, Belfodil

The good news is that Ederson is available again. Puel is also bringing along a whole host of young talent, including Nicolas Seguin, Maxime Gonalons, Yannis Tafer, Ishak Belfodil, Clement Grenier, and Timothée Kolodziejczak. Honestly, the squad list for this game is even more varied than that of a cup game.

Expected Lineup:

One would almost be tempted to utilize Francois Clerc as RB in order for him to get game time, but it wouldn’t be wise to underestimate Debrecen, and Anthony Reveillere has proven to be the starter so far this season. Puel has no choice but to put Jeremy Toulalan yet again in central defense, not only because we have no backup CBs (which I totally blame Puel for), but also because Toulalan seems to be a better CB than the ones we actually have.

One good thing that comes out of Toulalan’s new position (well, besides having a tighter back four) is that Puel can’t put two DMs in midfield – and no, I don’t consider Kim Kallstrom as a DM. While I do expect Kallstrom to pair Jean II Makoun in midfield, Kallstrom is more of an attacking player. We’ll also probably be seeing Miralem Pjanic, who’s been doing fairly decently, and what he lacks in consistency, he makes up in his “right place and the right time” moments.

Up front is where it will be interesting. Bafetimbi Gomis and Sidney Govou are sure to start; the question is, who will be the third player up front? Ederson seems to be the most likely candidate, and with Cesar Delgado, Michel Bastos, and Lisandro out, it makes a lot of sense. But some have been clamoring to give Yannis Tafer a chance, and perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea. Though it would probably make more sense for him to be a second half sub.

Lloris
Reveillere – Cris – Toulalan – Cissokho
Pjanic – Makoun – Kallstrom
Govou – Gomis – Ederson

I don’t think anything besides a 4-3-3 is possible given the players Puel has available, unless he decides to use Ederson as a second striker (which he’s done before, but with little affect). It’s also possible that Govou and Ederson might switch places, especially since Govou tends to look better on the left.

Viewing Options:

On television, the only place to watch this match (in the US, that is), is either on DirecTV or on SkySports Red Button, whatever that is. Streaming is once again your best option. You can cross your fingers and try to find a working here, or you can chuck out $10 and buy one from UEFA.com. Remember, sharing is caring, and if you find a working stream, please share!

If you’d rather skip out on the streaming drama altogether, you can follow along on liveblog. Both Football365.fr and Lequipe.fr will have good ones, as will the OL website, where you can also follow along with free audio commentary – though be warned, it’s all in French. (About an hour before the match, I’ll update this section with the links to the liveblogs.)

Expected Result:

I’m going with a 1-0. The Hungarians will be playing a defensive game, and Lyon have a history of having difficulties coping with overly defensive teams. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lyon scores from a set piece.

Lyon:

Lloris
Reveillere – Cris – Toulalan – Cissokho
Pjanic – Makoun – Kallstrom – Bastos
Gomis – Lisandro

Bench: Vercoutre, Ederson, Govou, Clerc, Delgado, Seguin, Gonalons

Fiorentina:

Frey
Comotto – Gamberini – Danielli – Gobbi
Donadel – Montolivo
Marchionni – Mutu – Vargas
Gilardino

Bench: Avramov, Kroldrup, Jovetic, Natali, Jorgensen, Pasqual, Santana

Feel free to post commentary, frustrations, and thoughts here during and after the game.

Selected viewing options:

If one link doesn’t work, try another. For a full list of various streams (including for media player and TVants), click here or here. And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, if you find a working link, post it in the comments.

Additionally, UEFA (via Setanta/FSC) is also selling the stream on their website, for $9.95. You can also watch this game on delayed broadcast on Thursday at 5PM on FSC.

If you prefer to follow commentary, I recommend either L’Equipe’s or Football365.fr’s liveblog. They’re both in French (L’Equipe’s offers free audio commentary), but they’re both pretty easy to understand. If you want something that is a little more Lyon-biased, an even better option is the liveblog on OL’s official website, where they also offer free audio commentary.

September 16, 2009
Stade de Gerland, Lyon
2:45 PM ET (20:45 CET, 19:45 GMT)

Match Background:

I was sorely tempted to copy and paste what I wrote about Fiorentina last year, simply because their squad hasn’t gone through any drastic changes since then. There have been a few transfers, but for the most part, the team OL will be facing tomorrow is nearly the same as the one they faced last season.

In terms of transfers, Fiorentina had only one major player leave, and that was Felipe Melo, who changed pastures for Juventus. They also lost Zdravko Kuzmanović to Stuttgart and Franco Semioli to Sampdoria. Their incoming players are a bit more interesting, with Lorenzo De Silvestri from Lazio, and Cristiano Zanetti and Marco Marchionni from Juventus. Coach Cesar Prandelli added depth to his team in nearly all positions, so I’d say he had a pretty decent mercato.

That’s in addition to the players he already has, including Sebastien Frey, Adrian Mutu, and Alberto Gilardino (who scored all three of Fiorentina’s goals against OL last reason). Stevan Jovetić and Juan Vargas are also players to watch out.

Last season, Fiorentina ended in fourth place in their league, which in Serie A is a CL qualification spot. Like OL, they had to go through a play-off round to earn their place in this year’s group stages. They faced Sporting in qualifying, and though the aggregate score was 3-3 (both matches were draws), Fiorentina slipped through due to more away goals. This year, Fiorentina are in 5th place after three games, with two wins and one draw. So far, they have scored 3 goals and conceded 1.

Since most of us know what Lyon have been up to this transfer window, I won’t delve into it, but for those non-OL fans, Lyon have changed their squad a great deal since the last time these two sides met. Juninho, Karim Benzema, John Mensah, Fred, Fabio Grosso, Kader Keita, Anthony Mounier, and Frederic Piquoinne – all of whom played against Fiorentina, either as a starter or as a substitute – are no longer at Lyon.

At first glance, that looks like an impressive list of departures, but besides Juni and Benzema, Lyon were eager to let them go. In fact, one could argue that despite the departures, Lyon have improved from the stagnating side they were last season, and that the new incoming players – a mere four of them, though together valued at 74 million euros, have brought back the energy, vitality, and creativity that has long been missing.

Currently, Lyon are in 2nd place in the league, tied on points with Bordeaux. They’ve scored 10 goals and conceded 3. They sailed through CL qualifying, beating Anderlecht 8-2 on aggregate. But despite their promising early form, the Champions League has always been an entirely different competition, and Fiorentina are certainly better than any of the teams Lyon have faced since the season began. So tomorrow is sure to be a game that will keep everyone on the edges of their seats.

Team News:

There was some speculation that Adrian Mutu wouldn’t be fit in time for tomorrow’s game, but alas, it looks like he’s healed rather quickly (or, more likely, Prandelli was spreading around the intox). However, Cristiano Zanetti is suspended while José Castillo and Lorenzo De Silvestri are out with injuries.

Le groupe de la Fiorentina: Avramov, Seculin, Frey – Comotto, Dainelli, Gamberini, Gobbi, Kroldrup, Natali, Pasqual – Donadel, Jorgensen, Jovetic, Marchionni, Montolivo, Santana, Vargas – Mutu, Gilardino

There was also some rapid healing among Lyon players as well. Ederson and Lisandro Lopez, both of whom missed last Saturday’s game against Lorient and who were doubtful tomorrow, are now match fit. They will be joining Sidney Govou, who recently returned to first team action after a month long absence. The only two missing players are Jean-Alain Boumsong and Cleber Anderson (and naturally, both are CBs).

Le groupe lyonnais: Lloris, Vercoutre – Réveillère, Cris, Clerc, Bodmer, Cissokho, Seguin – Toulalan, Källström, Pjanic, Makoun, Gonalons, Belfodil, Ederson, Govou, Delgado – B.Gomis, Bastos, Lisandro

Puel is bringing along some of the kiddies. Ishak Belfodil and Maxime Gonalons, both of whom have already had their European (and league) debuts in recent weeks, will be joined by Nicholas Seguin, another of one of OL’s youth players.

Expected Lineup:

I’ll just skip over the back four. There’s no point really. No way will Puel give Francois Clerc his first start of the season in a crucial game like this, and it’s not like there are a lot of options in the other three positions, is there?

Midfield is where most of the question marks are. Puel may opt to go for the players he used in the first game against Anderlecht, but given the very great danger to our defense (our defense is crap, and everyone knows it), Puel might end up going with the relative safety of two DMs. Since Kim Kallstrom was rested over the weekend, it looks like Miralem Pjanic will be the player missing out. I’m not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, I don’t like the idea of such a defensive formation (and yeah, having both Jean II Makoun and Jeremy Toulalan on the pitch is exactly that), but I have images of Adrian Mutu and Alberto Gilardino raping our back four, and then I think, hey, even three DMs sounds like a good idea. I guess we’ll see.

Up front, I expect to see Lisandro Lopez, Michel Bastos, and Bafetimbi Gomis. That means that Sidney Govou and Ederson don’t get to start (unless, once again, Puel drops one of the midfielders). To be honest, I can’t say I’m too sad to see either of them sit out since Bastos, Lisandro, and Gomis play so well together.

Lloris
Reveillere – Cris – Bodmer – Cissokho
Makoun – Toulalan – Kallstrom
Bastos – Gomis – Lisandro

At least that’s what I expect. The only changes I can see happening are one of Makoun or Kallstrom being dropped.

Viewing Options:

I swear, I think options are growing more limited each year. On television, the only place to watch this match (in the US, that is), is either on DirecTV or on SkySports Red Button, whatever that is. If you are REALLY patient, FSC will show Lyon vs. Fiorentina on Thursday at 5 PM in a super delayed broadcast.

But if you’d rather not wait, it looks like streaming is once again your best option. You can cross your fingers and try to find a working here, or you can chuck out $10 and buy one from UEFA.com. Remember, sharing is caring, and if you find a working stream, please share!

If you’d rather skip out on the streaming drama altogether, you can follow along on liveblog. Both Football365.fr and Lequipe.fr will have good ones, as will the OL website, where you can also follow along with free audio commentary – though be warned, it’s all in French. (About an hour before the match, I’ll update this section with the links to the liveblogs.)

Expected Result:

I’m not really sure what to expect. Both Fiorentina and Lyon are unknown quantities at the moment, and this game could go both ways. I don’t want to jinx anything with making either a too optimistic or too pessimistic guess, so instead, let me just wish for a match filled with fun football, no injuries (or drama!), and a result that is in Lyon’s favor.

Addendum:

I just wanted to mention that I hope that we can keep the commentary nice and clean. Last season, while the majority of you were great at keeping things polite and on topic, there were a couple fans (representing both OL and Fiorentina) started taking things too personally and began a series of nasty posts to each other. I’m not trying to go all Stalinistic on you guys, but please, no personal or racial insults, and no trolling. That also goes for any OL fans who might feel the need to vent over at the Fiorentina blog – please don’t.

Thanks!