Olympique Lyonnais’ 2010 was one of highs and lows. Reaching the Champions League semi-final for the first time was an immense achievement, but it was rather tempered by the club’s inability to win anything tangible. Claude Puel’s side haven’t started 2010-11 in especially good form, yet they’re plodding along steadily and will want to keep their title dreams very much alive with a win over Auxerre.
The weekend’s draw with Marseille was a result that brought with it mixed feelings. Lyon deserved their point, but it could have been so much more after Lisandro Lopez slammed them into the lead 10 minutes before the break. Moreover, Mathieu Valbuena’s second half equaliser was a strike he would struggle to repeat.
OL at least preserved their lengthy unbeaten Ligue 1 record, which stretches to 11 matches. Crisis talk in the autumn may therefore have been premature, but the club’s recent performances in Europe have simply served to highlight the deficiencies that are not being exposed domestically.
“It will be a tough match,” Puel told the press earlier this week, considering the challenge AJA will present. “Beating Auxerre will not be easy. They can be dangerous at any time because of their counterattacking. They are a cohesive team with a big defensive bloc... We don’t expect a cakewalk.”
Lyon have enjoyed some memorable encounters against the Burgundy club in the past, most notably lifting the title after a final day triumph in 2007-08. It is such occasions that Puel hopes to bring back to the Stade Gerland.
On Their Knees
An injury crisis has thrown Auxerre off track after they gained some momentum throughout the autumn, enjoying an eight match unbeaten run in all competitions. Now Jean Fernandez’s side, who finished third in the standings last season, are simply looking to consolidate their place in the heart of the table after going seven games without a win.
A run of three successive 1-1 draws continued at the weekend, when AJA were held against Montpellier away from home, though even the coach admitted that it was a somewhat fortuitous point.
“It’s mission accomplished,” Fernandez told the media. “When you look at how the game went, you have to ask yourself how we managed to score. We did so with our only shot on target.
“It’s not that we didn’t want to, it’s that we couldn’t. We’ve got a lot of injury problems, and things are difficult now before the winter break. We stayed well-organised, but it’s never easy against Montpellier.
“We’ve got a game to play against Lyon before the break. It’s going to be tough. We’re on our knees.”
Auxerre are clearly a side struggling badly at present, and anything at all from Wednesday’s match would be considered a huge bonus.
TEAM NEWS
Lyon
Yoann Gourcuff is expected to play a full 90 minutes after sitting out on the bench against Marseille. Jeremy Toulalan, Cris, Ederson and Clement Grenier are all missing, however.
Auxerre
Jean Fernandez has named an identical squad to the one deployed against Montpellier. Ireneusz Jelen, Benoit Pedretti, Cedric Hengbart and Delvin N’Dinga are the main absentees. Also missing are Yaya Sanogo and Alexandre Licata.
Prediction
Auxerre’s squad may be depleted, but they are tenacious opponents. Jean Fernandez’s men won’t go down easily, but Lyon will have too much for them in the end.
O. Lyon 2-0 AJ Auxerre 
