Abidal punishment for Bremen

By Matthew Spiro

Olympique Lyonnais defender Eric Abidal is preparing himself for a testing evening against Werder Bremen in the Weserstadion tonight.

'Tough opponent'
The French international expects Bremen to start Wednesday's UEFA Champions League tie at a ferocious pace and admits that Lyon will need to be at their best to resist the German pressure. "They're going to be really tough opponents," Abidal told uefa.com. "They're an attack-minded team and I expect them to be up for it and come at us from the first whistle."

Hard to beat
But as Abidal is keen to point out, Lyon's defence has been their strong point this season. The runaway leaders in France have conceded just 13 goals in 26 Ligue 1 matches and the former AS Monaco FC stopper knows they have become a team that is hard to beat. "We've got a good team spirit and have been very solid, both in France and in the Champions League this season," Abidal said.

'Positive result'
Lyon's left-back added: "We'll be stretched to the fullest extent against Bremen but I think we're good enough to get a positive result over there. When a team has a solid base it will always have a chance of winning games."

Outstanding addition
Abidal, who joined Lyon from LOSC Lille Métropole, was one of three defensive reinforcements last summer. One of the others, Brazilian international Cris, has proved an outstanding addition in the centre of defence. "With Edmílson leaving, the coach [Paul Le Guen] needed a player who could hold the defence together," Abidal explained. "Cris isn't as skilful as Edmílson but he defends his goal better than anyone in France."

Caçapa return
Cris began the season playing alongside his compatriot Claudio Caçapa, but the Lyon captain had been out for four months with a knee injury before he made his return as a substitute against Monaco on Friday. In Caçapa's absence, Le Guen chose to move Ghanaian midfield player Michael Essien to centre-half to partner Cris.

'More responsibility'
Abidal admits he is disappointed not to have been given a run in central defence, where he performed exceptionally for Lille last season. "Lyon signed me to play in the middle but I've only had three games there," said the 25-year-old. "It's gone well on the left, but centre-half is my true position. Playing in the centre is more demanding in terms of concentration. You have more responsibility because if you make one mistake it will almost certainly lead to a goal."

Formidable performances
The way in which Abidal has accepted his new role has pleased Le Guen, while the Frenchman's formidable performances on the left have justified the coach's decision. "I'm a footballer so I keep my mouth shut and do what the coach says," Abidal explained. "I'm not the only one being asked to play out of position, but none of us complain. We just get on with it and do what is best for the team."

Champions League debut
Certainly Abidal looked comfortable on the left in Lyon's first Champions League game of the season against Manchester United FC in September. The 25-year-old did such a fine job of marking Cristiano Ronaldo that the Portuguese international only influenced the game after switching flanks in the second half.

'Infuriate the opponent'
Abidal said: "Marking Ronaldo was a great challenge. He's one of the best wingers in the game and I know I did a good job on him. As a defender, my aim is to infuriate the opponent and on that night I think I succeeded." He will be confident of infuriating more opponents in Bremen tonight.