Fearless Lyon forge ahead

Olympique Lyonnais are looking ahead to today's UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw without any fear after continuing their march towards a potential 'home' final at the Stade de France with an emphatic 4-0 victory against PSV Eindhoven.

Masterful form
Bidding to become the first side to win the competition on home soil since BV Borussia Dortmund in 1996/97, Gérard Houllier's team have been in masterful form so far this season, winning seven of their eight European ties and drawing the other at Real Madrid CF. Wednesday's swashbuckling performance has strengthened the players' belief that they could be visiting Paris in May. "Beating PSV so convincingly shows how strong we are," said striker John Carew. "I always thought we had the potential to go to the final, now I'm sure. Lyon are a big team."

'Important lessons'
The French champions have been eliminated at the last-eight stage in their last two campaigns, but many feel the current side are better equipped to make the extra step. Goalkeeper Grégory Coupet said: "We showed against PSV that we've learned some important lessons. We still like going forward but these days we also keep it tight at the back."

Coupet wish
Quizzed on his preferences for the draw, Coupet added: "I'd like a team we haven't played before such as [SL] Benfica or Villarreal [CF]. [FC] Barcelona? It might be better to avoid them." Midfielder Florent Malouda, however, claimed the other challengers should be worrying about Lyon, rather than vice versa. "I don't mind who we get," said the French international. "A lot of people are saying we must avoid Barcelona, but perhaps the other teams are saying they want to avoid Lyon."

'A great squad'
The one blot on Lyon's horizon is that playmaker Juninho Pernambucano will miss the first leg through suspension. "It's up to us to make sure we're still in the tie when 'Juni' comes back," said defender Eric Abidal, while Juninho himself was keeping positive. "Worse things happen," shrugged the Brazilian. "I'm part of a three-man midfield so I have to tackle and there's always the chance of picking up yellow cards. There's no point getting upset. Lyon have a great squad and I'm confident they'll get a good result without me."