Lyon ready to prove their class

Olympique Lyonnais coach Alain Perrin believes his players will show their true colours against FC Barcelona at Stade de Gerland on Tuesday after being outplayed by the Catalan giants in their opening Group E fixture.

Uncertain start
Lyon suffered their heaviest-ever UEFA Champions League defeat at the Camp Nou, slumping to a 3-0 loss that was in keeping with the uncertain start they had made under Perrin. Rangers FC replicated that scoreline before the French title-holders rediscovered their form, surging to the top of Ligue 1 and clawing their way into contention in Group E with back-to-back victories over VfB Stuttgart.

'Difference in class'
Club captain Cris and goalkeeper Grégory Coupet are still sidelined, yet confidence has returned to the Lyon ranks, and Perrin is predicting a much-improved performance. "There was a difference in class between Barcelona and Lyon in September," the former Olympique de Marseille coach said. "I don't think that's the case any more. This is an opportunity to find out how much progress we've made since then. We know that Barcelona will be dangerous because they have so much attacking potential but we're better prepared this time."

Benzema doubt
One of the keys to Lyon's revival has been the electric form of Karim Benzema, but Ligue 1's eleven-goal leading scorer could miss out after sustaining a thigh injury in Saturday's 2-0 triumph at Stade Rennais FC. "If the game was today [Monday], Karim wouldn't be ready," said Perrin, who rates the teenager's chances of playing at "30 or 40 per cent". Should Benzema fail to recover, Fred will lead the line in the continued absence of Milan Baroš (groin), while fit-again midfielder Jérémy Toulalan is expected back at the expense of Fábio Santos and Mathieu Bodmer could continue at centre-half after impressing against Rennes.

Ronaldinho return
Barcelona also have attacking concerns, with Thierry Henry missing the trip to his homeland after injuring his back and groin in the 3-0 weekend success over RC Recreativo de Huelva, and Samuel Eto'o not yet fully fit. Bojan Krkić, 17, is being tipped to make his first UEFA Champions League start up front alongside Lionel Messi, while coach Frank Rijkaard has hinted that Ronaldinho will be recalled for his 50th European appearance after sitting out the Recreativo win through fatigue. "He seems better," Rijkaard said of the Brazilian. "We'll see how he is in the final training session but his form looks good."

Rijkaard warning
Rijkaard said he expects "a difficult fixture against a talented team", adding: "It will be much harder than the first match because Lyon are at home this time and they're also in better shape. I wouldn't say we're in worse condition, however. If anything, we're stronger because the atmosphere in our dressing room has improved." A point would seal qualification for the 2006 winners, with victory guaranteeing them top spot, and Rijkaard remains upbeat, saying: "Our away form in Spain hasn't been perfect but the only way to correct that is by winning. We'll try to play our usual football and hopefully by the end of the evening we'll be through to the knockout stage."