19.12.2008 12:15
www.fcbarcelona.cat
Barça have been drawn to play Olympique Lyonnais in the first knockout stage of the CL this season. The Blaugrana will take on Abidal’s former club in Lyon on Tuesday, February 24 and then the return leg will be in Camp Nou on Wednesday, March 11.
Pep Guardiola’s team were fifth in the first group to be pulled out at the draw in
Switzerland. After seeing Chelsea paired with Juventus, the next possible opponent that Barça could
face were Lyon and when they were announced the Catalan club were duly next.
Goals galore
The pairing sees two of European football’s most
attacking team go head-to-head as FC Barcelona have scored 18 goals this season in the Champions
League, while Lyon are second in the charts with 14 goals to their credit. The French team’s
star, Karim Benzema, who celebrated his 21st birthday on Friday, is their top scorer with five
goals.
Last season the two teams also met in the group stages of the Champions League with Barça
winning at home and drawing away.
Better away
Claude Puel’s team did not progress from an easy group this season, but only just
missed out on finishing in first place in their last match when they were beaten 2-3 at home by
Bayern München. Fiorentina were third and Steaua Bucharest finished fourth.
Lyon’s impressive away form helped them qualify for the next phase of the Champions
League as they won two and drew once in their three games while at home they won once, drew once
and lost once to garner eleven points in total.
Leaders in France
In Ligue 1, Lyon are in first place with 35 points from their opening 18 matches. Three
points behind them are Olympique Marseille, Girondins de Bordeaux and Paris Saint-Germain. In the
French league, just like in Europe, Lyon’s great defensive record has helped them as they
have lost the least games.