Liverpool chase five in a row at Lyon

Their 2-1 victory at Anfield on Matchday 3 has put Olympique Lyonnais in control of UEFA Champions League Group E and leaves Liverpool FC knowing a fifth straight win on French soil in the second part of the sides' double-header is crucial to revive their fortunes.

• Late goals from substitutes Maxime Gonalons and César Delgado gave Lyon only their second win in England in seven attempts on Matchday 3 and sent the French side three points clear in the section, six ahead of their Premier League rivals who travel to the Stade de Gerland knowing a third successive defeat would leave their hopes hanging by a thread.

Match background
• Lyon won their first ever home fixture against English opposition – 1-0 against Tottenham Hotspur FC in the 1967/68 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup second round – but have failed to get the better of visitors from across the Channel in five subsequent matches, drawing four and losing one.

• The last time Lyon hosted a team from the Premier League, they drew 1-1 with Manchester United FC in 2007/08, an 87th-minute Carlos Tévez equaliser denying them victory in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League first knockout round contest. It was a costly goal to concede as Lyon went on to lose the tie 2-1.

• Although Liverpool have never played at the Gerland before, they boast an impressive recent record in France, having won on their last four visits. Skipper Steven Gerrard hit three goals in successive victories at Olympique de Marseille in the 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons.

• Liverpool won the 1981 European Champion Clubs' Cup on French soil, beating Real Madrid CF 1-0 in the final at the Parc des Princes.

• Lyon are seeking a third straight home win in the competition after victories against RSC Anderlecht in the play-off round and then ACF Fiorentina. Yet their home form in Europe has been mixed in recent seasons – indeed they won only two matches out of eight in the 2007/08 and 2008/09 campaigns.

• Liverpool will be aiming to recover their previously strong away form after losing at Fiorentina on Matchday 2. It was their first UEFA Champions League defeat on the road since April 2008.

Team ties
• In his final European tie as a player, Lyon coach Claude Puel was in the AS Monaco FC team that beat Leeds United AFC 1-0 in the UEFA Cup first round in 1995/96 – a result that failed to undo the damage of a 3-0 first-leg home loss.

• Puel was in charge of a LOSC Lille Métropole side featuring Mathieu Bodmer and Jean II Makoun that held Manchester United to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford in the 2005/06 group stage, then prevailed 1-0 in France.

• The trio fared less well against United with Lille in the 2006/07 first knockout round, losing 1-0 home and away.

• Lyon forward Lisandro scored against Liverpool for former club FC Porto but finished on the losing side in a 4-1 group-stage defeat at Anfield in 2007/08. He also struck against Arsenal FC in Porto's 2-0 home win in last season's group stage.

• Lyon defender Jean-Alain Boumsong faced Liverpool three times while at Newcastle United FC. He played his part in a 1-0 home victory in March 2005 but tasted defeat twice the next season, 2-0 at Anfield and 3-1 at at St James' Park in a match where he was sent off.

• Rémi Garde, who was at Liverpool's Premier League rivals Arsenal between 1996 and 1999, is now on Lyon's coaching staff.

• Gérard Houllier served both clubs as manager, Liverpool from 1998-2004 and Lyon from 2005-07.

• Liverpool coach Rafael Benítez got the better of two Ligue 1 teams when leading Valencia CF to the 2003/04 UEFA Cup. Benítez's Valencia side were 4-2 aggregate winners against FC Girondins de Bordeaux in the quarter-finals and then defeated Marseille 2-0 in the final.

• Liverpool's Albert Riera was in that Bordeaux side having spent two seasons with the club between 2003 and 2005. However, he is unlikely to retain fond memories of scoring the opening goal when Bordeaux visited the Gerland in May 2005 – Lyon hit back to win 5-1.

• Liverpool midfielder Damien Plessis is a product of Lyon's academy, swapping the Gerland for Anfield aged 19 in 2007.

• Liverpool forward David Ngog was at Paris Saint-Germain FC between 2006 and 2008, scoring once in 18 appearances.

• Liverpool forward Fernando Torres hit the only goal for Spain against France in the UEFA European Under-16 Championship final in 2001. He was later in the Spain team defeated 3-1 by France in the last 16 of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Lyon's Sidney Govou featuring as a substitute for the opposition.