Desperate straits give Govou courage

Revenge will be high on Sidney Govou's agenda tonight as he prepares for Olympique Lyonnais' decisive Group E fixture against Rangers FC at Ibrox.

'Our motivation'
The French champions were humbled 3-0 by Walter Smith's side back in October meaning that Lyon require a victory to progress to the last 16 and Govou is keen to erase the memories of that earlier reverse at the Stade Gerland. "We made a lot of mistakes in the first game and we couldn't take much hope from that performance," said Govou. "Hopefully, we have learned from those mistakes and we can give Rangers a better game this time. The staff and coaches have told us that we have to win and that is our motivation."

Pressure situation
The 28-year-old striker appeared to be at odds with his coach Alain Perrin who said that the pressure was all on the French champions. Sitting beside him, Govou took the opposite approach insisting that Rangers are the team facing all the questions, including whether or not to play for the draw that would allow the Glasgow club to progress to the knockout stage. "There's probably more pressure on Rangers," added the French international, who has still to open his account in this year's competition. "Obviously playing away from home is an extra pressure for us, but we don't really have anything to lose. The fact they just need a draw doesn't mean anything because it's not easy to get one.

'Exciting and different'
"It's an important match because we can qualify for the next stage with a victory," he added. "There is pressure but it's very exciting and different from the games we have played before. It's been a few years since we were last in this position and many of the players involved on that occasion [in 2003/04] have left. However, I am sure the current crop are good enough to make the difference this time."

Long trip
Both player and coach agreed that the hosts were handed a distinct advantage when last weekend's Scottish Premier League fixture against Gretna FC was cancelled giving Rangers more preparation time for the visit of Lyon. In stark contrast the French champions faced an arduous 1,500km round trip to Normandy, but Govou insists the mood in the dressing room has not been affected following the 1-0 defeat at SM Caen. "Obviously, we would have preferred to have come here having won at the weekend but the Champions League is a totally different kind of atmosphere, a different type of game and we know what we have to do," he said.