Houllier rallies troops over Juninho

Olympique Lyonnais coach Gérard Houllier believes "two or three moments of individual brilliance" will decide Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final against AC Milan - and is calling on his players to raise their game in order to compensate for the loss of Juninho Pernambucano.

Undeniable blow
The Brazilian playmaker, so often Lyon's inspiration this season, will watch from the stands at the Stade Gerland as he serves a one-match suspension. Juninho's absence represents an undeniable blow to the Ligue 1 leaders, who are hoping to reach the semi-finals for the first time after two successive failures at this stage.

Houllier belief
But Houllier, after describing Milan as "the hardest opponent we could have at this moment", insists he is confident. "When you reach the knockout stage all the teams are in with a chance," he said. "I don't believe Lyon are underdogs. We have as much chance as Milan, even if we respect their record in this competition."

Extra effort
Either Benoît Pedretti or Jérémy Clément will step in for Juninho, and Houllier admitted: "When you lose your best player you have to say it's a handicap. It would be like Milan having to do without Kaká or [Andriy] Shevchenko. But we can compensate for this loss by bringing in another good player and by everybody putting in an extra effort."

Goals target
Lyon and Milan have both scored freely in this season's competition, registering five goals apiece in the last round. However, the French champions appear harder to break down than in previous campaigns, and after twice shutting out PSV Eindhoven, Houllier is challenging them to keep another clean sheet. "Our aim is to win without conceding," he explained. "I've told my players to be patient because there may not be a lot of chances. The game will swing on two or three moments of individual brilliance."

Draw disappointment
For the first time this term, Lyon failed to warm up for a European outing by securing a domestic win, the 1-1 home draw with Toulouse FC allowing FC Girondins de Bordeaux to close to within nine points. "It was an infuriating result but I'm not worried because we played well and created a host of chances," said Houllier, who is likely to keep faith with defensive duo François Clerc and Patrick Müller despite the returns of Anthony Réveillère and Claudio Caçapa. Top scorer Sylvain Wiltord, meanwhile, should be preferred to Sidney Govou on the right wing.

'Try to score'
Last year's finalists were more convincing in their preparations, beating Fiorentina 3-1 at the weekend, and coach Carlo Ancelotti hopes to see them seize the initiative. "We're in good condition, physically and psychologically, and that's shown in our recent performances," he said. "The Champions League is a big priority for us and I'm expecting a determined performance. I want us to be positive and try to score at least one goal."

Kaká warning
Milan playmaker Kaká is also optimistic but pointed to Lyon's Brazilian quartet as a source of danger. "We're fortunate that Juninho isn't playing but I also know Fred and Cris from the national team and they're excellent players," Kaká said. "I don't know Caçapa so well but the fact he is Lyon's captain says a lot."

Defensive injuries
Ancelotti has the luxury of choosing from Alberto Gilardino and Filippo Inzaghi to play alongside the tournament's eight-goal leading marksman Shevchenko, but is left with fewer options at the back after experienced duo Jaap Stam and Cafu missed the trip through injury. Paolo Maldini, back after three months out, will not start, but Ancelotti confirmed that veteran stopper Alessandro Costacurta is ready for his second game in five days.