Champions League Preview: Fiorentina – Olympique Lyonnais

The Viola are gunning for a place in the next round while les Gones are attempting to secure top spot…

Nov 23, 2009 8:30:01 AM

More On :  Fiorentina, Olympique Lyonnais, Fiorentina vs Olympique Lyonnais
Gilardino - Fiorentina-Parma - Serie A (Getty Images)
Kick-Off: Tuesday, November 24. 20:45 CET.
Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence

Finish The Job

When the group stages for the Champions League were drawn, Fiorentina would have quickly realised that they faced a tough task to reach the knock-out phase. Paired with perennial pool qualifiers Olympique Lyonnais and five-time winners Liverpool, things looked a little bleak for Cesare Prandelli’s side.
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But with two matches remaining of the Group E calendar, the Viola will have two shots at qualification. Victory over Liverpool in Italy back on matchday 2 has proven instrumental to their campaign, particularly as Lyon have pinched four points from the floundering Premier League club.

Though Lyon claimed the bragging rights in the first encounter between these two sides, Stevan Jovetic’s breakthrough double against the Reds, combined with a duo of high-scoring victories against the defensively naive Debrecen, leaves the Gigliati tantalisingly close to booking a place in the spring’s round of 16.

Tuesday evening provides their first bullet. A draw would be enough to leave Fiorentina on the brink of qualification, and at home that should be a result well within the club’s grasp. Indeed, given the importance of topping the group, they should even be targeting a victory, which would see them leapfrog les Gones and claim a place in the next round in one fell swoop.

As if an extra incentive was needed, the Italians were unhappy with the manner in which Alberto Gilardino was sent-off earlier this season at Stade Gerland, a pivotal moment in a match that finished 1-0 to les Gones, who struck late through Kim Kallstrom. The in-form striker will not get the chance to face up to the antagonist that night, Jeremy Toulalan, as he is nursing an injury.

One look at their goals against column will tell you that Fiorentina are not exactly impregnable. Hungarian minnows Debrecen scored five against them over two goal-strewn matches, while their form in Serie A has been pedestrian at best. In their last five domestic encounters, Prendelli’s outfit have lost three times, including a disappointing 3-2 home defeat to Parma at the weekend.

They have the consolation, however, of going into this week’s encounter knowing that they will still have the opportunity to progress at Anfield in a fortnight’s time should they lose, though that is certainly not a prospect that should be considered satisfactory.

Criticised

Like their opponents, Lyon had something of a calamity at the weekend. Playing on Saturday evening against Grenoble, a side who had previously won only one point from a possible 36, OL were held to a 1-1 draw. To make matters worse, they led 1-0 when Laurent Courtois of GF38 was dismissed.

Refusing the opportunity to go top of the league had further repercussions as les Gones actually tumbled to third, with Auxerre leapfrogging them to become unlikely leaders in France. Moreover, criticism about Claude Puel’s conservative style of play has been aired once again in l’Hexagone. On several occasions last term OL were berated for playing with only one forward player, and this was again the case when they tackled lowly Grenoble.

Not that such words will deter the steely Castres-born tactician. Playing in a gung-ho style against the Viola would be wholly against his beliefs, and he has already enjoyed previous success against the Serie A side.

As well as securing maximum points in the fiery affair between the teams previously this campaign, he masterminded a superb performance from les Gones in Tuscany last term, guiding them to a 2-1 success. Though the scoreline suggested a tight game, this was in fact a thriller that deserved to be won by OL by a greater margin.

Lyon played that encounter coming off a poor 1-0 defeat by Paris Saint-Germain, so they will hope to show such an ability to bounce back on Tuesday. Puel’s men have drawn both of their two previous Ligue 1 encounters, with a 5-5 tie against Olympique de Marseille on November 8 a match that will live long in the memory.

Victory would guarantee the French side top spot and given their unfortunate draw against Barcelona in the first knock-out round last term, they know just how vital finishing can be.

FORM GUIDE

Fiorentina

LOST 2-0 (h) Parma (Serie A, Matchday 13, November 21)

WON 1-0 (a) Udinese (Serie A, Matchday 12, November 8)   

WON 5-2 (h) Debrecen (Champions League, Matchday 4, November 4)

WON 3-1 (h) Catania (Serie A, Matchday 11, November 1)

LOST 2-1 (a) Genoa (Serie A, Matchday 10, October 28)

Lyon

DREW 1-1 (a) Grenoble Foot38 (Ligue 1, Matchday 14, November 21)

DREW 5-5 (h) Olympique de Marseille (Ligue 1, Matchday 13, November 8)

DREW 1-1 (h) Liverpool (Champions League, Matchday 4, November 3)

WON 1-0 (a) Saint-Etienne (Ligue 1, Matchday 12, October 31)

LOST 4-1 (a) Nice (Ligue 1, Matchday 10, October 24)

TEAM NEWS

Fiorentina

Adrian Mutu and Alessandro Gamberini remain injured for the Gigliati, who will again start with Alberto Gilardino as their chief forward. He may yet be supported by Stevan Jovetic, who reportedly failed a late fitness test at the weekend. He could return to face les Gones.

Riccardo Montolivo was banned for the weekend’s fixture against Parma but will be involved in the squad.

Probable Starting XI: Frey; Comotto, Dainelli, Natali, Pasqual; Montolivo, Zanetti; Marchionni, Santana, Vargas; Gilardino

Lyon

Claude Puel has been quick to name his squad for this encounter, listing 20 players. A good number of these men are youngsters aiming to break through into the first team as there are several players out.

Jeremy Toulalan is the most high profile absentee. He has adductor worries. Back-up holding midfielder Maxime Gonalons, most famous for his equaliser against Liverpool, is not ready to play after missing the weekend’s fixture.

There are big concerns for les Gones in the right-back area, where Francois Clerc and Anthony Reveillere are both excluded due to physical problems. Mathieu Bodmer and Cleber Anderson are the other concerns.

Aly Cissokho returns to the pool after a weekend suspension.

Probable Starting XI: Lloris; Gassama, Cris, Boumsong, Cissokho; Makoun, Kallstrom; Govou, Pjanic, Michel Bastos; Lisandro

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Fiorentina

After being controversially sent-off in the previous encounter between these two sides, Alberto Gilardino is very much the man to keep an eye on from the home side’s ranks. The bustling forward has been the source of a great deal of woe for the visitors previously, scoring all three goals the Viola mustered against their guests in the group stages of this competition last season. And he's is seriously form right now, registering twice at the weekend in the defeat to Parma with two more unbelievably brilliant headers.

Lyon

It may well be something of a rearguard action for OL on Tuesday night, given the volume of absentees in Puel’s ranks. Potentially more porous at the back than they would like to be, it’s another night when goalkeeper Hugo Lloris will have to shine. His reputation has exponentially increased following strong showings against Liverpool for Lyon and the Republic of Ireland for France, but he is still capable of poor evenings – see OL’s recent first half performance against Marseille for evidence.

PREDICTION

Neither side would necessarily be against a draw, but the onus is on Fiorentina to reignite their challenge for top spot in the group by securing maximum points. With Lyon lacking in defence, expect the Viola to edge an entertaining fixture.

Fiorentina 2-1 Olympique Lyonnais

Robin Bairner, Goal.com
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