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Garde on guard as Lyon take on Dinamo

Remi Garde insists that there are "no certainties" as Olympique Lyonnais gear up to meet GNK Dinamo Zagreb in Group D, with visiting boss Krunoslav Jurčić angling to upset the odds.

Remi Garde is expecting a tough encounter against Dinamo
Remi Garde is expecting a tough encounter against Dinamo ©Getty Images

Olympique Lyonnais are eager to build on their goalless matchday one draw at AFC Ajax as Group D outsiders GNK Dinamo Zagreb come to the Stade de Gerland, but while the form book would suggest a win for the home side, both coaches are well aware that nothing can be taken for granted in the UEFA Champions League.

Lyon
Coach Remi Garde 
Three points would be very welcome. We know how important this second game is, especially after our draw at Ajax in the opening game. We need to win to feel the full benefit of that first result. Dinamo Zagreb like to keep the ball and play on the counterattack. They are used to dominating teams in their league but play a different way in the Champions League, as we saw when we watched their matchday one game against Real Madrid [a 1-0 home defeat]. We will have to keep an eye on several players, like the Brazilian midfielder Sammir. Playing at home could be an advantage for us, but it is not a guarantee. We are in good shape at the moment, but anything can happen in football. There are no certainties.

Weekend result
Saturday: Lyon 3-1 FC Girondins de Bordeaux (Gomis 7 33, Bastos 64; Modeste 86pen)
Vercoutre; Réveillère, Koné, Lovren, Cissokho; Gonalons (Fofana 80), Källström; Lacazette, Grenier, Bastos (Briand 69); Gomis (Belfodil 76)

• With Rémy Vercoutre deputising for the suspended Hugo Lloris and Alexandre Lacazette making his first start of the season in place of the rested Jimmy Briand, Lyon extended their unbeaten home run to 19 league games. Lyon's Ligue 1 haul of 17 points from eight matches is a marked improvement on their tally of eight at the same stage last term.

Team news
Lisandro (ankle, out since 27 August), Cris (hamstring, 15 August) and Yoann Gourcuff, yet to play this season because of an ankle injury, have all resumed team training. Ederson has not featured since rupturing a knee ligament in a pre-season friendly, while Yannis Tafer will be out until November with a broken foot.

Dinamo

Coach Krunoslav Jurčić
I hope we will leave Lyon with good memories. We respect Lyon a lot, as they have achieved great things in their league and in the Champions League. With their new coach, they have completely changed their style of play. Now they play on the counterattack, even though they can put pressure on their opponents at any time. We especially have to keep an eye on Michel Bastos and Bafétimbi Gomis, who are in good form, but Lyon play like a real team. We have to play our usual game and try to impose our quality on the match. That is the best way to win. If the three points were already a certainty for Lyon, we would have stayed at home. We'll do our best to win it.

Weekend result
Friday 23 September: NK Lokomotiva Zagreb 1-2 Dinamo (Škvorc 26; Beqiraj 41 50)
Kelava; Tomečak (Beqiraj 36), Vida, Tonel, Ibáñez; Calello, Leko, Badelj (Šimunić 87), Kovačić; Sammir, Rukavina (Šitum 68)

• Dinamo extended their unbeaten start to the First League season to nine games, eight victories and one draw. Jurčić experimented with Ante Rukavina as lone striker and Sammir playing just behind him. Another forward, Fatos Beqiraj, struck twice within 14 minutes of replacing right-back Ivan Tomečak. Lokomotiva had Frano Mlinar dismissed (54).

Team news
Tomečak was taken off with a right ankle injury on Saturday and joins Leandro Cufré (adductors), Arijan Ademi (ankle) and Mehmed Alispahić (broken arm) on the sidelines. Šime Vrsaljko is suspended for the Lyon game; Igor Bišćan (left) and Mathias Chago (back) are long-term absentees.

Match fact
Dinamo, competing in the group stage for the first time in 12 years, have a decent record in France. They were last there for a 2007/08 UEFA Cup group stage contest with Stade Rennais FC, drawing 1-1.

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