Match background

Lyon seek revenge from PSV test
When PSV Eindhoven and Olympique Lyonnais renew rivalry in the Philips Stadion memories will come flooding back of the last time the sides met on the same patch of turf. It came 12 months ago in a thrilling quarter-final tie in the UEFA Champions League, a tie that will be remembered as the first occasion a knockout game in the competition – other than the final -had gone to penalties.

PSV fight back
• The Dutch side prevailed – and later advanced to the semi-finals where AC Milan defeated them on away goals after a 3-3 aggregate draw - with Lyon's Michael Essien and Eric Abidal missing from the spot to enable PSV to seal a 4-2 win.

• Both games had finished 1-1 with Lyon ahead on each occasion before PSV pegged them back. Florent Malouda in the Stade Gerland and Sylvain Wiltord two weeks later, had tipped the odds in the French side's favour but their opponents showed their fighting qualities on each occasion as Phillip Cocu and Alex fired second-half equalisers.

Success at this stage
• The first knockout round has proved fertile territory for both sides – albeit that for the Dutch champions this is only the second time they have reached this stage.

•Last season PSV put paid to another Ligue 1 outfit, AS Monaco FC, 3-0 overall. They came through 1-0 at home with Alex on target early in the game and followed that with a 2-0 away win courtesy of Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and DaMarcus Beasley.

• At the same time, Lyon defeated Werder Bremen 10-2 on aggregate, posting a 3-0 success in Germany before winning 7-2 at home. Wiltord's hat-trick in that game added to his goal in the away leg while Essien was a two-goal marksman in the home fixture. At the same stage in the previous season Lyon had enjoyed matching 1-0 wins against Real Sociedad de Fútbol before bowing out to eventual winners FC Porto.

PSV leave it late
• To reach this stage in their tenth UEFA Champions League campaign, Guus Hiddink's team had to win their final game in Group E and a 2-0 victory against Fenerbahçe SK, with Cocu and Jefferson Farfán scoring, earned them second place behind AC Milan.

Scoring worries
• A single-goal victory at home to Milan on Matchday 4, with Farfán again on target, proved crucial as they held off the challenge of FC Schalke 04. PSV had beaten their rivals 1-0 on Matchday 1. However, they would also lose 3-0 at Schalke and, overall, goalscoring was a problem for PSV with just four goals to their name and six against.

Commanding group form
• A return meeting just 12 months after suffering defeat in the most frustrating circumstances offers the French champions the chance for revenge and they will not be short of confidence having edged out Real Madrid CF to finish top of Group F, dropping just two points in six games. In their sixth UEFA Champions League campaign, Lyon began with a memorable 3-0 home success against the Spanish side and maintained their winning form until Matchday 5 when they were held 1-1 in the Spanish capital.

• Scoring in both games against Madrid, Norwegian international John Carew notched a total of four goals in the group with Juninho Pernambucano on target on three occasions. Gérard Houllier's side, who stage the second leg on 8 March, then finished with a fifth victory in six games, 2-1 at home to Rosenborg BK with Fred providing their 90th-minute winner.

Honours even
• Lyon have faced opposition from the Netherlands on only two previous occasions before last season's set-to with PSV and their record over six games shows perfect symmetry: two wins, two draws and two defeats.

• Their only win in the Netherlands to date came in the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League first group stage when they were 2-0 victors at SC Heerenveen.

• The 1-1 draw a year ago continued PSV's pattern of making life hard for French visitors at the Philips Stadion. In 12 games they have succumbed just once, winning five and drawing six. The only defeat came in the group stage of the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League when they lost 2-1 against Monaco.

Olympique Lyonnais starting XI

-----------------Coupet-----------------
--Berthod----Cris----Muller---Abidal--
-----------Tiago--------Diarra----------
-----------------Juninho-----------------
-----Govou------------------Wiltord----
-----------------Carew------------------

Definitily going for a Lyon win, they look much stronger, particularly in midfield

Berthod doesn't play in the right

The comp :

______________Coupet____________

Clerc____Cris______Muller_____Abidal

____________M.Diarra_____________

_____Tiago____________Juninho____

Govou_____________________Wiltord
____________Carew_______________

This is going to be a good matchup. I want to see a Lyon win though. I have a soft spot for them, mostly because of Juninho.

Yeah, same here. I like Juninho so much, so I enjoy seeing his team win...

This will be a very close matchup on both ties. I call a 2-1 to PSV.

I think Lyon is by far the stronger team, and I thought they were stronger last year as well and were unfortunate to get beaten. But right now they are in a bit in a crisis so maybe PSV stand a chance. We'll see.

Lyon should win this time around, but PSV is a strange team. They played horrible against Vitesse last week and should have lost 3-0, but they won 3-1. Watch out for Farfan's diving in the penalty area

Lyon are not only a better team than PSV this year, they are also going into the pitch looking for revenge. I say they'll win 3-2.

Lyon is best, Lyong will Knock out PSV, and Lyon win win CL.

Simple as that.

Lyon win 1-0. Good to see Juninho score....

None seems to be interested in that game but, even if I can understand you, that's a great evening for Lyon's fans.

I hope we'll crush them for the return, but it will be hard with all these red and yellow cards...

Did Culina play well for PSV?

Skysports gave him an 8/10!

He was substituded in the 54th minute, then Aisatti came on. Have to say that PSV was better in the first half, but they missed 3 clear chances. Lyon deserved a victory last year more then last night.
But good luck to Lyon in the next match, I don't want PSV to go trough!

From what I saw in highlights, Lyon defense was a bit shaky in the first half, PSV had a lot of chances and didn't convert...
I think PSV should have won 2-1, but I'm happy Lyon won.

That's sad Johan. In European competition you should be supporting all Dutch teams. PSV is not out by a long shot. I can see them score in Lyon and keep it locked at the back.
And PSV'll win once again with PK's. But it's gonna be a tougher challenge then last year to beat them.

Don't tell me who I should support. I should support ALL Dutch teams? Right, you see me supporting a certain Amsterdam Club? Not in a million years! Ask an Ajax fan if he supports Feyenoord in Europe, not a lot will say they do.
I am not saying PSV is out already, but last year PSV did not deserve to be in the semis. That was all forgotten after they played soooo well against Milan but I still felt sorry for Lyon, they should have won the CL last season. I am a fan of Feyenoord and the Dutch NT, PSV's play is sooo boring to watch most of the time, I'd rather see an other team in the QF.

I'm with the Feyenoorder. ^

Thank you very much!

Altough I got problems with supporting PSV & Feyenoord I do agree I should support any Dutch team. With Heerenveen for instance: no problem. But I just cant help myself laughing my ass off while Feyenoord is getting beat in the first UEFA cup match again..


Johan, Can you pls change they way you put your favourite players? I find it annoying coz it screws up the lay-out.. would appreciate that

I think it has already changed even though I didn't do anything No problems now?

Lyon will advance. PSV is not as strong as they were last year at this time. Lyon will advance but I dont see Lyon going any further than the quarters.

I gues it'll take a miracle and a heck of a lot of praying and hoping to see Feyenoord in the CL again. They even choke on the entrance step of the UEFA Cup. So you can pick between Ajax and PSV. And when a Dutch team does well, you should be supporting them. They do the country proud. Not just their respective colours. I think most of Holland was behind Feyenoord when they fluked themselves to the 01-02 UEFA Cup, in turn, you should like it if PSV, or Ajax, were to go to the final. Anything is possible in this wonderful competition.
And saying Lyon should've won the CL last season is just pathetic. Based on what?

Yeh its good now thanks anyhow!

BTW I was wearing an Ajax shirt while being in Italy and watching Feyenoord's UEFA cup final

It's my opinion that they were the best team You have alot of trouble accepting other people's opinions, don't you? Unless of course it happens to be the same as yours
So last time I will say this: I hate Ajax and I can never support them. About PSV I just don't care.

You might want to check the current situation in the eredivisie, Feyenoord still have every chance of winning it.



Hey, I was in Italy as well! Watched the final in the cafe on the camping

As a PSV fan I can say that I don't want any Feyenoord or Ajax fans supporting my team, they bring seem to bring crapiness to whatever team they support...lol

What I mirror image of last years CL clash. First leg PSV devserve to win at home but lose to Lyon. Hopefully the second leg will be a mirror image of last year and we will get an away goal, but PSV really deserved more, I mean, Kone hitting the post with a wide open net, that was just brutal.

I think Kone isn't as good as Kone thinks he is.

Maybe a draw would have been more equal regarding the whole game. But I'm sorry to tell you that when Lyon wanted to win, the main part of the second half, PSV didn't touch the ball.
The goal is lucky but right.

We'll see if PSV is able to reverse it in few days, but contrary to last year, we won our first game...