Lyon primed for perfection

Olympique Lyonnais are on target for a record-breaking conclusion to their UEFA Champions League group-stage campaign in advance of their Matchday 5 trip to Real Madrid CF.

Perfect six
The French champions are two wins away from becoming only the fifth team – and the first since FC Barcelona in 2002/03 – to win all six games in a group stage. The first to manage it were AC Milan in the inaugural 1992/93 edition of the UEFA Champions League. Since then Paris Saint-Germain FC (1994/95) and FC Spartak Moskva (1995/96) have matched the achievement, before that Barça success in the last season before the competition was revamped into its current format.

Unwanted record
Barcelona are not having such an easy ride this time around. A draw or defeat for the title-holders at PFC Levski Sofia and a Werder Bremen victory over Chelsea FC would make the Camp Nou side the first defending champions to fail to get through a group stage since the UEFA Champions League began. (This record, like the others, includes the four seasons that featured a second group stage between 1999/00 and 2002/03.)

Clean sheets
With no such worries, Lyon are also going for another UEFA Champions League first. No team has negotiated a group stage without conceding a goal but Lyon, along with FC Bayern München and PFC CSKA Moskva, could yet change that having managed four clean sheets to date. In contrast FC Dynamo Kyiv and Levski Sofia have both shipped 13 goals in their first four outings this term, just six short of the record number let in by Ferencvárosi TC in the 1995/96 campaign.

Shot shy
For all their defensive solidity, CSKA have only scored two goals so far. They can take comfort from the achievement of Villarreal CF last season and AS Roma in the 2002/03 first group stage, as both clubs advanced to the next phase with just three goals to their name. Villarreal are a particularly noteworthy example, as they made it all the way to the semi-finals in their debut campaign in the competition.

Seven enough
The good news for those who have made a slow start but are still in contention is that seven sides have successfully negotiated a group with only seven points. The first to do it were Legia Warszawa in 1995/96 before Bayer 04 Leverkusen managed it in 1999/00 and Liverpool FC in 2001/02. FC Lokomotiv Moskva and Juventus both progressed with seven points in 2002/03, a feat most recently achieved by Rangers FC and Bremen last term.

Freescoring United
The record for most goals scored in a group stage was established by Manchester United FC in 1998/99 when they found the net 20 times en route to lifting the trophy. It is a mark that is unlikely to be challenged this year, with the closest contenders being Spanish rivals Real Madrid CF and Valencia CF who have ten goals each to their name.

Athens goal
In terms of individual scoring, Chelsea FC forward Didier Drogba and AC Milan playmaker Kaká, with five apiece from their first four games, are on track to break Ruud van Nistelrooy's single-season record of 2002/03, when he struck 12 in nine matches. Both Drogba and Kaká will hope to have another nine fixtures in the current competition, which of course would mean their respective clubs reaching the final in Athens on 23 May.