http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympique-Lyonnais-c40130 Vs Dinamo Zagreb – UEFA Champions League preview
Stade de Gerland, Lyon will see seven-time Ligue 1 champions host reigning Croatian Prva HNL champions Dinamo Zagreb in a group D encounter of the UEFA Champions League.
This will be Lyon’s first home game of this season’s edition of the Champions League and after making a great start to the 2011/2012 campaign, Les Gones will be looking to record their first win of this season’s Champions League campaign.
In their first game of the group stages, Lyon drew against Dutch Eredivisie giants Ajax Amsterdam and would be looking to build on the great away result against an unfancied Croatian side. The game on September 27, 2011 marks Lyon’s 100th Champions
League game and Remi Garde is looking to make the 100th game special for the Rhone giants.
While talking to the media, Lyon coach Remi Garde said that he is looking for nothing less than three points.
“We need to win to feel the full benefit of the previous result. Dinamo Zagreb like to keep the ball and play on the counterattack. They are used to dominating teams in their league but play a different way in the Champions League,” the 45-year-old said
in a pre-match press conference.
Garde knows that despite losing 1-0 at home to Real Madrid, Zagreb pose a real threat in Group D. Though Garde admitted that playing at home makes things easier, the Frenchman said that he is not taking anything for granted.
In Week 8 of the 2011/2012 Ligue 1 campaign, Les Gones defeated Bordeaux 3-1 to go on top of the Ligue 1 standings. Garde would be looking to carry the great domestic form in Europe as his side looks to make it through to the Group stages.
Looking to crash the party
Dinamo Zagreb midfielder http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Milan-Badelj-c25769 admits that his side face a tough task at Stade de Gerland but has pointed out that they would be looking to crash the party at Lyon who will complete their century of Champions League games tonight.
Plavi coach Krunoslav Jurčić believes that his team has the quality to give a good account of themselves and said that he wants his team to leave the French province with good memories. Zagreb are playing in the Champions League after almost 12 years and
the 41-year-old wants to make a return to Europe’s biggest club competition one to remember.
“We respect Lyon a lot as they have achieved great things in their league and in the Champions League. With their new coach, they have completely changed their style of play,” said the former Croatian midfielder before pointing out that http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Michel-Bastos-c25461 and
Bafetimbi Gomis would be a real threat for his side.
Team news
Lyon
Striker Lisandro Lopez is a long-term absentee while there’s still no news on the exact date of return for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ederson-c11880 has not played since rupturing his knee ligaments in a preseason match.
Dinamo
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Mathias-Chago-c24665 also fall under the same category.
Prediction
Lyon are currently in a hot vein of form and will be looking to record a win against the Croatian giants before they face Paris Saint-Germain in their next Ligue 1 encounter. Though the game is not expected to be a one-sided affair, Lyon might record their
first win of the European campaign due to their experience of playing in the competition regularly.
Predicted final score: Lyon 2-0 Dinamo Zagreb
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