Next tough European test awaits

UEFA Europa League clash in Lyon

It's all happening thick and fast in the league phase of the UEFA Europa League. After the home opener against FC Porto, the next heavyweight awaits us in Olympique Lyon this Thursday 2 October at 21:00 CEST. In the away game in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, a similarly combative performance to last week's against the Portuguese will be needed to stand any chance of getting a result. The French outfit are in sparkling form, marching from success to success – most recently with the 1-0 league win against LOSC Lille.

Les Gones suffered their only defeat of the season about two weeks ago, losing 3-1 to Stade Rennais while down to ten men. Otherwise, Fonseca's team has had a flawless season so far. In Ligue 1, Lyon are level on points with PSG at the top of the table, having taken a 1-0 win against FC Utrecht in their UEFA Champions League opener – despite almost not even qualifying for the competition. Due to financial problems, Lyon's relegation to Ligue 2 had already been confirmed, a move that OL were only able to avert after a second appeal. Now, Olympique Lyon are making a real statement on the pitch.

We can also look forward to a top-class crowd at the Parc OL, the country's third-largest stadium, which has a capacity of almost 60,000 fans. A sold-out crowd is not to be expected, however. In the recent top match against Lille, 45,000 spectators attended, and in the clash with Marseille, 52,000 fans flocked to the Groupama Stadium.

Can we snatch any points? We'll find out on Thursday evening. All fans staying at home can follow the excitement for free on on ServusTV or ServusTV On. Sky Sport Austria will also be broadcasting the match.

Possible starting XI of Olympique Lyon

Injury news

• Not available are  Takumu Kawamura (knee), Karim Konate (knee), John Mellberg (knee) and Valentin Sulzbacher (ankle).
• Mads Bidstrup is out with a thigh injury sustained in the WSG Tirol match.

Views

We knew that two tough challenges awaited us right at the start of the competition, and — I can only repeat — we're looking forward to it. The important thing is that we've gained confidence recently, so we certainly won't be awe-struck in Lyon. We already know what to expect though.

Thomas Letsch

We want to compete in this match, just like we did against Porto, and show what we can do. For me personally, it's nice to be playing in my hometown again. A lot of my family will be there, keeping their fingers crossed for me.

Joane Gadou

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How the UEFA Europa League's league phase works

Since last season, a league format has replaced the group stage in UEFA competitions. Just like in the Champions League, each team in the UEFA Europa League is drawn against eight different opponents, with four home and four away matches.

At the end of the eight rounds, an overall standings of all 36 participating teams is established. The top eight then advance directly to the round of 16. Teams ranked 9th to 24th will face each other in a home-and-away play-off for the remaining spots in the knockout phase.

Other changes compared to previous years: following elimination, 'relegation' to the UEFA Conference League is no longer possible, as was previously the case for the third-placed teams in each group. Furthermore, the league stage also lasts until the end of January.

Raise your flag – our UEFA Europa League jersey for 25/26