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Lyon coach seeking something special against City

Lyon coach seeking something special against City
© Reuters
Bruno Genesio's side upset the Premier League champions in September.

Lyon coach Bruno Genesio claims his team will need to be at "150 per cent" to beat Manchester City again.

The French side host the Premier League leaders in the Champions League on Tuesday hoping to repeat their shock win at the Etihad Stadium in September.

City have since recovered to take charge of Group F with three successive wins but Lyon, who trail the English side by three points, are still in a strong position to qualify for the last 16.

Genesio said: "We are facing a team who are superior to us on paper but, as you saw in the first game, we are able to win and we hope to do the same thing tomorrow. I will be telling my team they all need to be at 150 per cent."

Lyon remain unbeaten in the competition having drawn three games in succession, one against Shakhtar Donetsk (2-2) and the other two against Hoffenheim (3-3 and 2-2).

They have lost just once – to runaway Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain – in their 12 games in all competitions since victory in Manchester and sit second in their domestic league.

City, however, have been even more impressive as they build on last season's title success and have scored 19 goals in their last four games alone.

Genesio said: "Manchester City are one of the favourites to win the Champions League. They're one of the best sides in Europe but we have our ambitions too. That's the only way to trouble them again – we need to believe in ourselves."

Lyon have a doubt over star player Nabil Fekir, who suffered a groin injury in last Friday's victory over St Etienne.

Genesio said: "We need all our players 100 per cent fit. Nabil Fekir is our captain, one of our most important players. He is indispensable to the team. We will see how he is feeling after training."

Jason Denayer has been one of the stars of Lyon's season having joined the club from City in the summer. The Dutch defender spent five years on City's books but never made a first-team appearance as he made loan moves to Celtic, Sunderland and Galatasaray.

The 23-year-old was once rated as one of City's brightest young prospects but bears no ill feeling towards the club having been moved on.

He said: "I spent a lot of time at Manchester City and gained a lot of experience. I have a very positive memory of City, not only because of the experience but I learned a lot."

Denayer, who now operates on the right of a three-man defence, expects a busy evening at the Groupama Stadium.

He said: "They're a team with huge attacking potential. We'll certainly have to suffer, but it's up to us to take the ball out and worry them."

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2Marseille1492331171429
3MonacoMonaco1492324121229
4Lille1475224141026
5Lyon147432617925
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7Lens146531712523
8Auxerre146262121020
9Reims145452018219
10Toulouse145361516-118
11Brest145182026-616
12Rennes144281820-214
13NantesNantes143561620-414
14StrasbourgStrasbourg143562227-514
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17Le HavreLe Havre1440101126-1512
18Montpellier HSCMontpellier1422101336-238


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