Lyon and Bayern aim to be head of the pack

Published on Tuesday 9 December 2008 21:49

OLYMPIQUE Lyonnais will battle it out with Bayern Munich for top spot in their Champions League group tonight with a team depleted by injuries and suspensions and morale dented by a string of poor results.

Both sides have already qualified for the knockout stages with 11 points from five games and the only thing at stake on the Stade Gerland pitch will be group supremacy. Lyon will win Group F with a victory or a goalless draw. Any other result would hand first place to Bayern.

Lyon, desperate to make an impact in Europe at last after never advancing past the quarter-finals of the Champions League, warmed up for tonight's match by losing 2-1 at strugglers Nantes in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

That defeat left them with just one point from their last three league outings.

"One point from three games is really worrying but we only have ourselves to blame for it," said Lyon midfielder Jeremy Toulalan. "The Champions League, however, is a different story. It's time for us to turn the page."

Juventus have gone undefeated on their return to the Champions League after a two-season absence, and one more point against BATE Borisov would guarantee top spot in Group H, ahead of Real Madrid.

"Even if a draw is all we need, we're going to play to win. That's our mentality," coach Claudio Ranieri said. "Finishing first is important for the standings and our image, but also because there are some pretty fearsome opponents waiting."