Lyon receive Rangers with hope

A recent Scottish success against Les Bleus may inspire Rangers FC as they look to improve a poor record on French soil at Olympigue Lyonnais in the UEFA Champions League. However, it will be Lyon looking to earn their first points of this year's campaign after they lost 3-0 to FC Barcelona on Matchday 1 while Rangers go into the game already off the mark following their 2-1 home win against VfB Stuttgart on 19 September.

• The two sides have never met in European club competition.

• Lyon have played Rangers' Glasgow rivals Celtic FC on four previous occasions, winning three games and losing one. They won both of their home games against the Bhoys and have never played against another Scottish team.

• Rangers have played 23 games against French opponents over the years, winning six, drawing seven and losing ten. On French soil, they have won two of their 12 games, drawing four and losing six.

• Rangers coach Walter Smith is yet to lead the club to victory against French opposition. In his previous spell as Rangers boss, he led his side into six matches against French teams, drawing two and losing four.

• However, he can reflect upon a more positive result from his most recent meeting with French opposition. As coach of Scotland, he led his side to a 1-0 UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying win against France in Glasgow on 7 October 2006, with Gary Caldwell scoring the only goal.

• Current Rangers stars David Weir, Barry Ferguson and Lee McCulloch were all in the starting lineup while Kris Boyd was an unused substitute. Meanwhile, Lyon's Grégory Coupet was in goal for France and team-mates François Clerc and Sébastian Squillaci watched the whole game from the bench.

• Lyon coach Alain Perrin has never faced Scottish opposition before but his experience as coach of English Premier League side Portsmouth FC may be helpful.

• Rangers' midfielder Brahim Hemdani played under Perrin for two years at Olympique de Marseille between 2002 and 2004 prior to the coach's dismissal. Perrin managed Hemdani as Marseille competed in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League group stage.

• Rangers striker Jean-Claude Darcheville and Lyon right-back Anthony Réveillère were team-mates at Stade Rennais FC. Réveillère made his first appearances for Rennes during the 1997/98 campaign, Darcheville's last with the club, as they finished 14th in the 18-team Ligue 1.

• Rangers have strong recent links with France, having appointed former Lyon boss Paul Le Guen as their boss at the start of the 2006/07 season. Having won three French titles at Lyon, Le Guen replaced current Scotland manager Alex McLeish in the summer of 2006 but left at the start of the following year. He is the shortest-serving coach in the club's history and the only one not to have completed a whole season in charge.

• Rangers qualified for the second qualifying round as runners-up in Scotland, beating FK Zeta of Montenegro and FK Crvena Zvezda of Serbia to reach the group stage. Lyon took the direct route as French champions.

• Rangers are at home against Barcelona on Matchday 3 while on the same evening, 23 October, Lyon visit Stuttgart.