Only goals and a favour can send Lyon through

Their failure to beat AFC Ajax two weeks ago has left Olympique Lyonnais staring at elimination from the UEFA Champions League before the knockout rounds for the first time since 2002/03. Even if Ajax lose at home to Real Madrid CF, the French side have still to turn round a considerable goal differential as they travel to GNK Dinamo Zagreb.

• Lyon have five points, three fewer than Ajax, with whom they played out two goalless draws. The French side's goal difference is -4 compared to their Dutch rivals' +3, however, and if Ajax avoid defeat against Madrid — who have won all five games so far — Lyon will be eliminated regardless of their result in Zagreb.

• Dinamo, who know their fate is to finish at the foot of the section, are still looking for their first points of the campaign. Although they felt the full force of Madrid's attacking weapons on matchday five, going down 6-2 at the Santiago Bernabéu, they did have the consolation of their first goals of the campaign as Fatos Beqiraj and Ivan Tomečak scored late on after the visitors had slipped six goals behind.

• In the reverse fixture between these teams, first-half goals from Bafétimbi Gomis – an exquisite chip – and Bakary Koné earned Rémi Garde a first group stage victory as Lyon coach.

• Dinamo had also experienced defeat on matchday one, their first UEFA Champions League group game since 1999, when Madrid won 1-0 at the Stadion Maksimir. After losing to Lyon, the Zagreb club's run of defeats continued on matchdays three and four as Ajax won 2-0 in Croatia and then 4-0 at home.

• The French side began with a goalless draw away to Ajax and then won at Dinamo but the wheels came off their campaign when they lost twice to Madrid, 4-0 in Spain and 2-0 at Stade de Gerland.

Match background
• The first game between the teams was Lyon's first taste of Croatian opposition.

• Dinamo have lost their last two games at home to French teams in European contests, a 2006/07 UEFA Cup first round tie against AJ Auxerre and a group stage game against Olympique de Marseille in September 1999, when they were last in the UEFA Champions League. Both finished 2-1 in favour of the away team. Dinamo have lost three of their five home games against Ligue 1 opposition with victory in the other two matches, and have not beaten a French side home or away in seven attempts, since that Auxerre success.

Team ties
• Dejan Lovren came through Dinamo's youth system before joining Lyon in January 2010.

• Dinamo coach Krunoslav Jurčić was an unused substitute as Croatia beat Germany 3-0 at Stade de Gerland in the 1998 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals. He made three starting appearances in the tournament in which Croatia finished third.

• Jerko Leko scored at the stadium on 12 April 2009 as AS Monaco FC drew 2-2 with Lyon in Ligue 1.

• Leandro Cufré was at Monaco between summer 2006 and January 2009, losing three of four games against Lyon including both of his side's home fixtures.

• Nikola Pokrivač spent 18 months at Monaco between January 2008 and summer 2009, losing both home games against Lyon. His sole visit to Stade de Gerland was that 2-2 draw in April 2009, when he was a late substitute.

• Lovren played for Croatia alongside Josip Šimunić and Domagoj Vida against France on 29 March 2011 in a Paris friendly international that ended goalless. On the opposite side were Hugo Lloris, Anthony Réveillère and Yoann Gourcuff.