Lyon and Betis ready for rematch

Olympique Lyonnais will look to leapfrog Real Betis Balompié into top spot in UEFA Europa League Group I, but the Spanish side know victory in France would propel them to the knockout stage as section winners.

• First place in the group is a major fillip, since seeded sides get to play the second legs of their round of 32 ties at home.

Previous meetings
• Nosa hit the woodwork for Betis, but there were to be no goals when the teams crossed paths for the first time on matchday one.

• Lyon's 25 UEFA competition games against Spanish opponents have ended W7 D7 L11 (W5 D3 L4 at home – W2 D4 L7 in Spain). They have yet to score in three matches against Spanish clubs this season, having bowed out 4-0 on aggregate to Real Sociedad de Fútbol in the UEFA Champions League play-offs.

• Betis' record in seven meetings with French sides is W3 D2 L2 (W3 D1 L0 in Seville – W0 D1 L2 in France). They have conceded twice in each of their previous three away games against Ligue 1 opponents.

Match background
• UEFA Champions League regulars, Lyon made their debut in the UEFA Europa League group stage last season having not played in the competition since 2002/03. They reached the round of 32 with the highest points tally of the season – 16 – but lost out to Tottenham Hotspur FC 3-2 on aggregate.

• Lyon have yet to lose in five UEFA Europa League group stage home games (W4 D1).

• Betis are in this group stage for the first time, though they reached the round of 32 of this competition in 2005/06 after finishing third in their section in their maiden UEFA Champions League group stage campaign. They eventually bowed out to FC Steaua Bucureşti in the round of 16.

• Betis are unbeaten in four European away matches (W2 D2), a run which stretches back to that 2005/06 campaign.

Team facts
• Lyon defender Mouhamadou Dabo turns 27 on matchday five. He joined Lyon after spending 2010/11 with Betis' local rivals Sevilla FC, making 24 Liga appearances.

• Seville is the only city to have two representatives in this season's UEFA Europa League.

• Lyon's 1-1 draw at HNK Rijeka on matchday four was their 200th UEFA game, with their record in those matches reading W102 D41 L57.

• Lyon right-back Miguel Lopes played 21 Liga games for Betis in 2010/11 while on loan from FC Porto.

• Lyon midfielder Steed Malbranque and Betis defender Paulão were team-mates at AS Saint-Étienne in 2011/12.

• Lyon forward Bafétimbi Gomis and Betis' French-born Polish international Damien Perquis also played together for Les Gones' arch-rivals St-Étienne, from 2005 to 2007. Perquis likewise had spells with ES Troyes AC and FC Sochaux-Montbéliard before heading to Spain in 2012.

• Betis' Danish goalkeeper Stephan Andersen also has recent Ligue 1 experience, having joined Betis from Évian Thonon Gaillard FC in the summer. His three games against Lyon in Ligue 1 ended in two defeats and a 0-0 draw.

Coach information
• Rémi Garde has spent much of his career with Lyon, taking over as first-team coach in June 2011. As a defensive midfielder, he captained Les Gones and won six caps for France, ending his career with spells at RC Strasbourg and Arsenal FC, whom he helped to win the 1997/98 English double. After a spell as a pundit, he joined Lyon's coaching staff and was assistant to Paul Le Guen and Gérard Houllier before taking charge of the club's training centre and subsequently becoming head coach.

• Betis coach Pepe Mel played in the Real Madrid CF youth team with Emilio Butragueño and Míchel, but the striker was to spend most of his career outside the top flight, peaking with a four-year spell at Betis between 1989 and 1993. He briefly returned to the top division as CD Tenerife coach in 2001/02 and is back again having led Betis to promotion in his first season in charge, 2010/11. He has found the time to write two novels while coaching the club.