Lyon and Valencia both chasing first win

Olympique Lyonnais host their first UEFA Champions League group fixture since 2011 when they welcome a Valencia CF side who already have one Ligue 1 scalp to their name this season.

• Both teams are seeking a first victory in Group H after a frustrating start on matchday one, with Lyon held 1-1 at nine-men KAA Gent and Valencia beaten 3-2 at home by FC Zenit.

Previous meetings
• Valencia defeated Lyon twice when the clubs met in the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League first group stage. Zlatko Zahovič registered the only goal at Mestalla on 27 September 2000 and Héctor Cúper's Valencia won again three weeks later as Juan Sánchez and Rubén Baraja scored prior to Steve Marlet's late reply. 

• The lineups for that encounter at Stade de Gerland on 17 October 2000 were:
Lyon: Coupet, Bréchet, Edmílson, Deflandre, Delmotte, Laville, Foé, Laigle, Malbranque, Anderson, Marlet.
Valencia: Cañizares, Angloma, Djukić, Pellegrino, Zahovič, Carboni, Baraja, Mendieta, González, Sánchez, Carew.

• Jacques Santini's side still qualified as group runners-up behind Valencia, that season's eventual beaten finalists.

Match background

Lyon
• Lyon lost 2-1 to Romanian side FC Astra Giurgiu in their last European home tie – a play-off result that cost them a place in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League group stage.

• Lyon's last home meeting with Spanish visitors brought a 1-0 win against Real Betis Balompié in the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League group stage, Bafétimbi Gomis the scorer. Henri Bedimo, Milan Biševac, Maxime Gonalons, Clément Grenier, Alexandre Lacazette and Steed Malbranque all played that night.

• Earlier that season they had lost 2-0 at home to Real Sociedad de Fútbol in the UEFA Champions League play-off round.

• Lyon's overall home record against Liga clubs is W6 D3 L4.

Valencia
• The visitors have got the better of one Ligue 1 side already this term having beaten AS Monaco FC in the UEFA Champions League play-offs, winning 3-1 at home before a 2-1 loss in the principality.

• Valencia have lost just twice in 11 previous away matches against French clubs (W4 D5 L2).

• In their most recent UEFA Champions League campaign, in 2012/13, Valencia beat LOSC Lille home and away in the group stage but lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16.

• Their most high-profile match on French soil was the 2000 UEFA Champions League final at the Stade de France, where they lost 3-0 to Real Madrid CF.

• Valencia fans will have happier memories of their team beating Olympique de Marseille 2-0 in the 2004 UEFA Cup final in Gothenburg.

Coach and player links
• Nuno Espírito Santo was FC Porto's substitute goalkeeper when they beat Lyon in the 2003/04 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, before going on to defeat Monaco in the final. He had made his full debut in the competition in RC Deportivo La Coruña's 1-1 draw with LOSC in the 2001/02 group stage.

• Hubert Fournier's own European debut as a player was in SM Caen's 4-3 aggregate defeat by Real Zaragoza (h 3-2, a 0-2) in the 1992/93 UEFA Cup first round.

• Aymen Abdennour was in the Monaco side who eliminated Lyon from last season's French League Cup on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the Stade de Gerland.

• Lucas Orbán played for FC Girondins de Bordeaux at the Stade de Gerland in a 1-1 Ligue 1 draw against Lyon in October 2013.

• Sofiane Feghouli has also played in French football with Grenoble Foot 38 (2006–10).

• Sergi Darder was sent off after 27 minutes of Málaga CF's 3-0 defeat at Valencia in August 2014.

• Rafael faced Valencia with Manchester United FC in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League group stage (1-0 a, 1-1 h).

• Mathieu Valbuena played against Paco Alcácer in France's 1-0 friendly victory over Spain in September 2014.

• Players who have played together:
Anthony Lopes & Ruben Vezo, André Gomes (Portugal)
Rachid Ghezzal & Feghouli (Algeria)

Match facts

Lyon
• Aldo Kalulu, making his first senior start for Lyon, scored his maiden goal for the club in a 2-0 home win against SC Bastia on 23 September.

• Valbuena sustained a calf injury in a 1-1 draw at his former club, Marseille, three days earlier and missed the visit of Bastia, although he returned for Saturday's 3-1 loss at FC Girondins de Bordeaux.

• Sergi Darder made his Ligue 1 debut against Marseille, where Lacazette, the 27-goal leading marksman in the French top flight last term, scored his first of the season.

• Nabil Fekir, a scorer of four goals in as many Ligue 1 appearances in 2015/16, suffered ligament and meniscus damage to his right knee on his first start for France, a 1-0 victory in Portugal on 4 September.

• Grenier (thigh) and Gueïda Fofana (ankle) are yet to play this season.

Valencia
• Valencia suffered their first Liga defeat of the season on 22 September, losing 1-0 at RCD Espanyol. They bounced back by beating Granada CF by the same scoreline on Friday.

• The Mestalla outfit have nine points from six matches – five fewer than at the same stage last season.

• José Gayà suffered a hamstring injury against Espanyol.

• Matthew Ryan (knee) is still sidelined.