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| PROBABLE LINEUPS |
LYON  Lloris Reveillere, Cris, Lovren, Dabo Kallstrom, Gonalons Briand, Gourcuff, Lacazette Gomis | REAL MADRID  Casillas Sergio Ramos, Varane, Pepe, Marcelo Khedira, Xabi Alonso Ronaldo, Ozil, Di Maria Benzema |
Lyon entertain the Spanish giants on Wednesday evening yet will have to do without the services of influential winger Michel Bastos, who is likely to be out for three weeks with a thigh injury. The French side will also be missing striker Lisandro Lopez who continues to recover from a severe ankle strain while Mouhamadou Dabo may start at left-back if Aly Cissokho fails to recover from a hamstring problem.
Jose Mourinho has several injury woes with Raul Albiol, Ricardo Carvalho and Nuri Sahin all ruled out. Kaka (bruised calf) and Alvaro Arbeloa (bruised left thigh) will both face late fitness tests with Raphael Varane expected to replace the latter, allowing Sergio Ramos to move to right-back.
Real Madrid could bring back Marcelo and Sami Khedira into the starting line-up in place of Fabio Coentrao and Lassana Diarra, who both started in the 1-0 win against Real Sociedad at the weekend. Gonzalo Higuain grabbed the only goal of the game in the victory yet could find himself on the substitutes bench, with Karim Benzema pushing for a start versus his former club.
| DID YOU KNOW? |
- Lyon have never lost to Madrid at home, winning three and drawing one of four encounters at Stade Gerland.
- The French club are currently sitting on four points in Group D and are in third place, behind Ajax on goal difference.
- Lyon reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2009-10 season before crashing out to Bayern Munich 4-0 on aggregate.
- Real Madrid thrashed Lyon 4-0 at the Bernabeu a fortnight ago, leaving the club as the only side in the Champions League this season with a 100 per cent record.
- The Liga outfit ended a run of six successive last-16 eliminations last season when they defeated Lyon 4-1 on aggregate, eventually going out at the semi-final stage to winners Barcelona.
- Karim Benzema, who joined Madrid from Lyon for €35 million has scored in each of his last three appearances against his former club.
Prediction
Real Madrid have never beaten Lyon away, but expect this jinx come to an end on Wednesday night. The French side have key players missing and with Jose Mourinho's men on a superb run of form, there will surely be only one winner.
Editor's Prediction
O. Lyon 0-2 Real Madrid 
