Lyon v AZ background
Friday, February 17, 2017
Article summary
Trailing 4-1, AZ Alkmaar have it all to do against an Alexandre Lacazette-inspired Olympique Lyonnais in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 32 tie.
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![Lyon forward Alexandre Lacazette (right) scored twice in the first leg Lyon forward Alexandre Lacazette (right) scored twice in the first leg](https://editorial.uefa.com/resources/0236-0e964670b883-c4b506f0a965-1000/format/wide1/alexandre_lacazette_lyon_.jpeg?imwidth=158)
Article body
The odds are stacked against AZ Alkmaar as they approach the second leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 32 tie 4-1 down to Olympique Lyonnais.
• Alexandre Lacazette scored in each half in the Netherlands on 16 February, helping Lyon establish a commanding advantage over their Eredivisie opponents.
Previous meetings
• The clubs met for the first time in the opening leg of this tie. The 4-1 loss was AZ's first defeat in four games against French sides (W2 D1 L1).
• Lyon's record in 11 matches against Dutch teams is W5 D4 L2 (W2 D2 L1 in France).
Form guide
• Lyon have not lost in their last four UEFA matches (W2 D2).
• Lyon have yet to participate in a major UEFA final but were UEFA Champions League semi-finalists as recently as 2009/10 and reached the last four in the 1963/64 European Cup Winners' Cup.
• Losing UEFA Cup finalists in 1981, AZ are playing in the spring phase of a UEFA competition for the first time since reaching the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.
Links and trivia
• The journey from Alkmaar to Lyon is around 750km, due south.
• This game is taking place the day after AZ midfielder Muamer Tankovic's 22nd birthday.
• AZ's Ron Vlaar faced Lyon right-back Rafael three times (with Manchester United) and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa once (with Newcastle), ending up on the losing side in all four games.
• Lyon's women's team are the reigning European champions.
The coaches
• AZ coach John van den Brom spent the bulk of his playing career as a midfielder with Vitesse and was capped twice by the Netherlands. As a coach, he landed the Belgian title with Anderlecht in 2013, taking command in Alkmaar in 2014.
• Bruno Génésio took charge at Lyon in December 2015, but his links to the club go back much further. A local boy, he joined OL as a trainee in 1983 and represented Lyon as a midfielder from 1985–95. He later worked as a scout and was assistant coach from 2011–15.
Penalty shoot-outs
• Lyon have lost both of their previous UEFA penalty shoot-outs:
L 4-2 A v PSV (2004/05 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals)
L 4-3 A v APOEL (2011/12 UEFA Champions League round of 16)
• AZ lost their only previous UEFA penalty shoot-out:
L 5-4 A v Barcelona (1977/78 UEFA Cup second round)