Lyon face a huge challenge as they prepare to take on Bayern Munich for a spot in the Champions League final.
The French side have reached the final four of the competition for the first time in 10 years, meaning that this campaign has seen them return to their previous European glory.
Coincidentally, the last time they reached the semi-finals they also faced the German giants, falling to a 4-0 aggregate defeat as they missed out on a place in the 2009/10 showpiece event.
One thing we know is that Rudi Garcia’s side will be hoping that they don’t suffer the same fate again.
The challenge of facing the German giants will be a huge task, but based on Lyon’s track record so far in this competition, they’ll be quietly confident of pulling off an upset.
Competition so far
Lyon have exceeded all expectations in the Champions League this term.
Two wins and two draws in Group G saw the French side narrowly progress to the knockout stages.
They then defied the odds with an away goal victory over Juventus in the round of 16, before a memorable quarter final clash with Manchester City.
Despite a second half rally, Lyon came away with a shock 3-1 victory over Pep Guardiola’s side to set up a spot in the last four.
As for Bayern Munich it’s been a much simpler route to the semi-finals. Six wins out of six saw them cruise through the group stages, scoring a staggering 24 goals, and conceding just five.
That free-scoring run continued in the knockout stages after beating Chelsea 7-1 on aggregate in the round of 16, before a frankly ridiculous clash with Barcelona in the last eight.
Bayern thrashed the Catalan side 8-2 to put them through to the Champions League semi-finals. To score 39 goals in the competition so far is a huge statement, and Lyon will need to make plans for that goal threat if they’re to overcome the German giants.
Last time out
Bayern Munich have the edge in the head-to-head between the sides, winning three of the seven contests between them.
The last time out saw Bayern and Lyon met was at the same stage 10 years ago, a clash that saw the German side prosper.
An Arjen Robben strike saw Munich take a 1-0 lead from the first leg, before an Ivica Olic hat-trick In the return leg capped off a dominant victory.
Unfortunately for Bayern, they went on to lose against Inter Milan in the showpiece event.
Players to watch
Lyon may not be the highest scorers in the competition, but they certainly have some significant threat.
Moussa Dembele tops the club’s scoring charts this term with 16 goals, while Memphis Depay has also racked up nine.
In terms of creative threat Thiago Mendes, Houssem Aouar and Bertrand Traore have led the way and could be contenders to carve Bayern Munich open.
As far as the German side are concerned, there’s no end to their attacking threat. A staggering 34 goals for Robert Lewandowski has him marked as one of the world’s best, while Serge Gnabry’s 12 goals and 10 assists this term has announced him as a key player.
While the former Arsenal man is one to watch, there’s no escaping the influence of Thomas Muller, who has racked up an impressive 21 assists this term.
Lyon will need to silence the German veteran if they’re to pull off a positive result.
Team news
Lyon have no new injury concerns in advance of the semi-final clash, meaning that Rudi Garcia has some exciting decisions to be made with a fully fit squad.
For Bayern Munich Benjamin Pavard has returned to training and could feature.