Time for Lyon vs. Steaua

By: Inara | November 4th, 2008

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m feeling cautiously optimistic about tomorrow’s game. It’s taken over three months, but Lyon are starting to play like the French champions they are. Players seem to be done screwing around, Claude Puel has finally found effective tactics, and even the injury list seems to be shortening by the day.

Of course, having all that, I might have jinxed it. Maybe I should continue being pessimistic, like, crap, Lyon suck are going to suffer tomorrow.

November 5, 2008
Stade de Gerland, Lyon
2:45 ET (20:45 CET, 19:45 GMT)

Match background:

It’s been two weeks since the game in Bucharest, with both teams reacting in completely different ways. While Lyon have steadily improved (including that 0-0 at Auxerre), Steaua’s coach Marius Lacatuş was fired and replaced by Dorinel Munteanu, who is already under the threat of a sack unless he drastically changes Steaua’s fortunes right away. If you thought having Aulas as a boss was bad, just wait until you have to put up with Gigi Becali.

Steaua are currently in 4th place in Liga 1, and since Munteanu has come on board, they’ve only managed two 1-1 draws domestically. They have six wins, five draws, and two losses, with 21 scored goals and 11 conceded. In their CL group, they have only one point and are at the bottom, with 3 goals scored and six conceded (eight of those nine goals are from the OL match alone, fyi).

If the Romanians have any hope of making it to the next round, they need a win against Lyon. With a new coach, Steaua will be eager to make a good impression. They’ve come to the Gerland once before, and that was two years ago. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, but keep in mind that Lyon had already qualified for the next round and had even consolidated top spot, so Gerard Houllier played mostly reserves that evening.

Lyon also need the three points because their last two group games are against Fiorentina and Bayern, and with qualification going down to the wire, every point – and every goal – is important. They also need to be careful because November is going to be a really tough month for them since it’s congested with big fixtures.

But they’ve been doing well domestically, having solidified first place with two wins and a draw in the last two weeks, and 18 goals scored and only 8 conceded. The defense seems to have straightened out, goals are being scored from open play, and everyone looks happy. So it’s not that I’m underestimating Steaua’s chances for tomorrow, but I think that Lyon’s current form is the best it’s been so far this season.

Lyon info:

The usual suspects of Francois Clerc, Mathieu Bodmer, Miralem Pjanic, and John Mensah are still out with their various afflictions. So is Sidney Govou, but he’s expected to return to action this Saturday, so there’s something to look forward to.

Le groupe lyonnais: Lloris, Vercoutre – Grosso, Boumsong, Cris, Faure, Réveillère, Gassama – Toulalan, Fabio Santos, Källström, Makoun – Juninho, Ederson, Delgado, Mounier, Keita, Benzéma, Fred, Piquionne.

It’s also good to see Fabio Grosso in the group. There were some concerns that he was still injured from the knock to his ribs he picked up against Sochaux, hence him being benched against Le Mans. But it looks like the extra rest benefited him more than anything, so he should be ready to go tomorrow.

Expected lineup:

This one is going to be tough to guess. Lyon have used the 4-3-3 predominantly all season, but the last two games, Puel has gone with a very attacking 4-4-2. Whether he will risk it in a crucial game against a side who have showed that they can hurt Lyon remains to be seen.

Lloris
Reveillere – Cris – Boumsong – Grosso
Makoun – Toulalan – Juninho
Keita – Benzema – Delgado

I don’t think there is much point in discussing most of the lineup. The defense is rather obvious. In midfield, it’s a given that both Jeremy Toulalan and Juninho will start. Jean II Makoun’s presence depends on what formation Puel opts for. If it’s a 4-3-3, then Makoun will be there. But if Puel chooses to go with a 4-4-2, which worked wonders in the last two games, there won’t be space for another DM. The thing is, as much as I liked the 4-4-2, it featured only one DM, as well as a CM in Juninho, who can’t always be counted on to chip in defensively. Without a third midfielder there, either Makoun or even someone like Kim Kallstrom, I’m not sure that Toulalan can keep things in control by himself. It worked in L1, but will it work in the Champions League is another question entirely (then again, it’s Steaua, not Bayern).

Karim Benzema will start, duh. I also think Kader Keita will start. He hasn’t looked good since the last game against Steaua, but he might wake up at any moment again, and I get the feeling that Puel would rather give him regularity, especially in the absence of Sidney Govou. Plus Lyon don’t really have anyone else who can play on the right wing with ease. On the left, I’ve chosen to go with Cesar Delgado. He’s looked really good in the last two games, and of all the players I’ve seen play LW so far this season, he might prove to be the best one. So I think he deserves his start. The only other options are Anthony Mounier, who I don’t think is ready yet, Ederson, who isn’t at his best in this position, and Benzema, which as I said earlier is a waste there.

Now for the matter of Fred. If Puel goes with the 4-3-3, the only way to accommodate Fred would be to push Benzema to the left, which is a waste of his talents. But if Puel chooses the 4-4-2, then Fred could play alongside of Benzema, which is infinitely better.

So to sum everything up, only two of the following three players will start tomorrow: Fred, Makoun, and Delgado. One of them will be on the bench, it just depends on the formation. My guess would be Fred.

Viewing options:

No one cares about Lyon or Steaua, which means no televised games. Booo. You can either buy a link from UEFA.com for $8 or you can try your luck at finding a stream.

Expected results:

I would love a resounding 3-0 win, but I’ll take a skimpy 1-0.