Ajax and Lyon seek winning returns

AFC Ajax and Olympique Lyonnais, two teams who have previously met in the UEFA Champions League on matchday one, get their Group D campaigns under way as they come face to face at the Amsterdam ArenA.

Previous meetings
• The clubs met in the 2002/03 edition's opening set of fixtures, Ajax winning 2-1 at home and then following it up with a 2-0 win in France. In the first game Zlatan Ibrahimović scored twice in the first 34 minutes with Lyon's response limited to Sonny Anderson's goal six minutes from time. Abubakari Yakubu was sent off late on for the home team.

• The lineups for the game at the Amsterdam Arena on 17 September 2002 were:
Ajax: Stekelenburg, Trabelsi, Galásek (Van Halst 57), Chivu, Van der Meyde, Ibrahimović (Bergdølmo 81), Maxwell, O'Brien, Litmanen, Yakubu, Sikora (Pienaar 68).
Lyon: Coupet, Edmílson, Caçapa, Violeau (Laville 46), Juninho Pernambucano, Anderson, Carrière, Bréchet, Govou (Vairelles 41), Chanelet (Diarra 79), Dhorasoo.

• Ajax, who are competing in the UEFA Champions League for the tenth time, faced French opponents in last season's group stage, both games against AJ Auxerre ending in 2-1 wins for the home team.

• Lyon are unbeaten in their three other games away to Dutch opponents, winning two.

Match background
• In the play-off round, Lyon recovered falling behind early on at home to FC Rubin Kazan in the first leg to take a 3-1 lead through Bafétimbi Gomis and Jimmy Briand either side of an own goal. That was sufficient to go through to the group stage for the 12th season running with the away leg ending 1-1, Bakary Koné heading a late equaliser.

• At the Amsterdam ArenA in last season's group campaign, Ajax drew 1-1 at home to AC Milan, beat Auxerre 2-1 and lost 4-0 against Real Madrid CF. On their travels they lost two games and won the other to finish third in the section.

• Last season Lyon reached the round of 16 – they have progressed to the knockout stage in each of the past eight campaigns – losing to Real Madrid, drawing 1-1 in France and losing 3-0 away. In the group stage Les Gones won 3-1 at Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC but lost 4-3 at SL Benfica and 3-0 at FC Schalke 04.

• A year ago Lyon began with a 1-0 win at Stade der Gerland against Schalke, the same score with which they started the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League against ACF Fiorentina. In the two previous seasons they had drawn and lost their opening fixtures.

Team ties
• André Ooijer was part of the PSV Eindhoven team which beat Lyon in the 2004/05 quarter-finals, scoring in the shoot-out when the Dutch side became the first to win a two-legged UEFA Champions League tie on penalties. The defender was also part of the PSV team when Lyon won 1-0 away and 4-0 at home in the round of 16 a year later.

• Oojier played in the Netherlands' 3-1 friendly win against Sweden at the Amsterdam ArenA on 19 November 2008, Kim Källström scoring for the visitors.

• Ooijer helped the Netherlands to a 4-1 win against France in a UEFA EURO 2008 group encounter in Berne, Gomis coming on after an hour for Les Bleus.

• Frank de Boer beat Lyon 2-0 (home) and 3-2 (away) while playing for FC Barcelona in the 2001/02 first group stage. The Ajax coach was captain of the Netherlands team, scoring the second goal, as they beat France 3-2 in a UEFA EURO 2000 group encounter at the Amsterdam ArenA.

• Michel Bastos played for BV Excelsior, on loan from Feyenoord, in 2002/03, losing 2-1 and 2-0 to Ajax.