Post by SaintTim on Dec 12, 2007 9:45:28 GMT
Rangers v Lyon
Champions League, Group E
Date: Wednesday, 12 December
Kick-off: 1945 GMT
Venue: Ibrox
Listen: BBC Radio 5 Live
Updates: BBC Sport website and mobile
Rangers manager Walter Smith has three players sidelined for the crucial Champions League game against Lyon.
Jean-Claude Darcheville, Nacho Novo and DaMarcus Beasley are all missing and Smith may opt to play Daniel Cousin as a lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation.
Lyon coach Alain Perrin left out Fabio Grosso and restricted Juninho and Sidney Govou to second-half substitute appearances against Caen.
Rangers will qualify for the last 16 if they avoid defeat on Wednesday.
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Rangers (from): McGregor, Hutton, Cuellar, Weir, Papac, Hemdani, Naismith, Ferguson, Thomson, McCulloch, Adam, Darcheville, Cousin, Carroll, Boyd, Broadfoot, Whittaker, Buffel, Gow.
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BIG MATCH STATS
Qualification
A draw would take Rangers into the last 16.
Rangers will not progress to the knock out stages if they lose, neither will Lyon if they fail to win.
Head-to-heads
These clubs are facing each other for the second time in European competition.
Rangers won the reverse fixture on 2 October 2007 0-3 through goals by Lee McCulloch, Daniel Cousin and DaMarcus Beasley.
European history
Rangers' best season was 1971-72 when they won the Cup Winners' Cup. They also reached the final of that competition in 1961 and 1967, and were the first Scottish team to survive the CL group phase, reaching the last 16 in 2005-06.
Since 2000-01, Olympique Lyon have been ever present in the Champions League, reaching the quarter-final phase on three occasions including last season when they were knocked out by AS Roma (0-0, 0-2). Lyon's best European performance was in 1963-64, reaching the semi-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup where they lost to Sporting CP.
Current European form
Rangers have not lost in 14 European home matches, since a 0-2 defeat to French club Auxerre on 15 December 2004. The Scottish club are unbeaten in six Champions League home matches, but have lost their last two - both on their travels to Barcelona and Stuttgart.
Olympique Lyon are unbeaten in three Champions League matches.
Player and disciplinary info
Alan Hutton, David Weir (Rangers) and Anthony Reveillere (Lyon) will be suspended if booked.
No less than six Rangers players are yet to miss a minute in this year's Champions League.
If selected, Lyon midfielder Juninho Pernambucano will be making his 50th Champions League appearance - all for the French club.
Other miscellaneous facts
Rangers' scheduled match against Gretna last weekend was rearranged in order to give the club more time to prepare for this match. They are second in the Scottish Premier League, two points behind Celtic having played one game fewer.
Olympique Lyon lost 1-0 at Caen on Sunday, but still lead Ligue One by four points from AS Nancy.
Definitions of terms used:-
Champions League (CL) - only group phase matches and beyond of this competition which began in 1992-93.
Champions Cup/Champions League - all matches played since it began in 1955-56 including qualification matches.
European matches - all matches played in the major European tournaments (Fairs Cup, Uefa Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, Champions Cup, Champions League).
Uefa Super Cups, Intertoto Cups and the old Intercontinental Cup competition are excluded.
Champions League, Group E
Date: Wednesday, 12 December
Kick-off: 1945 GMT
Venue: Ibrox
Listen: BBC Radio 5 Live
Updates: BBC Sport website and mobile
Rangers manager Walter Smith has three players sidelined for the crucial Champions League game against Lyon.
Jean-Claude Darcheville, Nacho Novo and DaMarcus Beasley are all missing and Smith may opt to play Daniel Cousin as a lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation.
Lyon coach Alain Perrin left out Fabio Grosso and restricted Juninho and Sidney Govou to second-half substitute appearances against Caen.
Rangers will qualify for the last 16 if they avoid defeat on Wednesday.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rangers (from): McGregor, Hutton, Cuellar, Weir, Papac, Hemdani, Naismith, Ferguson, Thomson, McCulloch, Adam, Darcheville, Cousin, Carroll, Boyd, Broadfoot, Whittaker, Buffel, Gow.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BIG MATCH STATS
Qualification
A draw would take Rangers into the last 16.
Rangers will not progress to the knock out stages if they lose, neither will Lyon if they fail to win.
Head-to-heads
These clubs are facing each other for the second time in European competition.
Rangers won the reverse fixture on 2 October 2007 0-3 through goals by Lee McCulloch, Daniel Cousin and DaMarcus Beasley.
European history
Rangers' best season was 1971-72 when they won the Cup Winners' Cup. They also reached the final of that competition in 1961 and 1967, and were the first Scottish team to survive the CL group phase, reaching the last 16 in 2005-06.
Since 2000-01, Olympique Lyon have been ever present in the Champions League, reaching the quarter-final phase on three occasions including last season when they were knocked out by AS Roma (0-0, 0-2). Lyon's best European performance was in 1963-64, reaching the semi-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup where they lost to Sporting CP.
Current European form
Rangers have not lost in 14 European home matches, since a 0-2 defeat to French club Auxerre on 15 December 2004. The Scottish club are unbeaten in six Champions League home matches, but have lost their last two - both on their travels to Barcelona and Stuttgart.
Olympique Lyon are unbeaten in three Champions League matches.
Player and disciplinary info
Alan Hutton, David Weir (Rangers) and Anthony Reveillere (Lyon) will be suspended if booked.
No less than six Rangers players are yet to miss a minute in this year's Champions League.
If selected, Lyon midfielder Juninho Pernambucano will be making his 50th Champions League appearance - all for the French club.
Other miscellaneous facts
Rangers' scheduled match against Gretna last weekend was rearranged in order to give the club more time to prepare for this match. They are second in the Scottish Premier League, two points behind Celtic having played one game fewer.
Olympique Lyon lost 1-0 at Caen on Sunday, but still lead Ligue One by four points from AS Nancy.
Definitions of terms used:-
Champions League (CL) - only group phase matches and beyond of this competition which began in 1992-93.
Champions Cup/Champions League - all matches played since it began in 1955-56 including qualification matches.
European matches - all matches played in the major European tournaments (Fairs Cup, Uefa Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, Champions Cup, Champions League).
Uefa Super Cups, Intertoto Cups and the old Intercontinental Cup competition are excluded.