Its just a matter of hours now till kickoff at the Artemio Franchi where 35,000 Gigliati supporters are expected to be voicing their support for the Men in Purple. So in the meantime I thought I would look ahead to some of the personal match-ups that we could see in tonight's game, and use that to gauge the relative strengths and weaknesses of the two sides.

Match up 1: Alberto Gilardino vs Cris

Lyon's towering center back is rightly named "The Policeman" for his commanding presence on the pitch. He has both physical strength and pace which makes it very difficult for opposition players to get the better of him. An example of that was during the reverse fixture at the Stade Gerland where he along with Jeremy Toulalan were rock solid in defence throughout the ninety minutes there by reducing our chances on goal.

But then he did only have to handle GilaGoal for only half the game and I think we all know how our striker needs only one opportunity to find the back of the net. Gila's heading ability is fantastic as displayed in last weekend's game against Parma, but he will find it a lot harder to outjump and outmuscle the Policeman.

Verdict: Cris

Match up 2: Cristiano Zanetti vs Miralem Pjanic

From what I have read it looks like Miralem Pjanic will be their main attacking threat from midfield, and as a result is the one Cristiano Zanetti will have to handle. Zanetti's role for us essentially is to win the crucial battles in midfield, by regaining possession and thwarting the opposition's build up. Pjanic was exceptional in the first game with his movement and his partnership with Kim Kallstrom. Zanetti therefore will have to mostly break the link between the two as often as he can. Donadel who played in Paris was not very effective in doing that and guess which two players were involved in their goal that night?

But Zanetti is far more solid and technically sound than MarcoMan and based on his form for us this season I think he will do a good job overall. The game will depend a lot on him.

Verdict: Cristiano Zanetti

Match up 3: Lisandro Lopez vs Dario Dainelli

I mentioned in my preview the attacking options that Lyon have at their disposal. But with Sidney Govou and Michel Bastos usually playing wider out, the man who will go bang on with our center backs is their Argentine tormentor, Lisandro Lopez. Signed as a replacement for Karim Benzema who left for Spain the Summer, the former Porto man has scored almost a goal every game for his new club. With power, precision and speed he is surely going to give old Dainelli and whoever partners him (Kroldrup or Natali) a tough time on the pitch. With Alessandro Gamberini out, I think this battle is strongly in favour of the visitors. But then we do have superman Frey in goal.

Verdict:  Lisandro Lopez

Match up 4: Sebastian Frey vs Hugo Lloris

Not a direct confrontation but we are talking about two of the world' best goalkeepers. We all know how good and important Sebi is for us, as he continues to save us game after game, converting defeats into draws and draws into wins. I have always considered him to be one of the best in the business for the past few seasons and still hold that opinion. The only reason why he was not a certainty in the French squad was because Raymond Domenech is the biggest ass on this planet, because of whom legends like Thierry Henry are having to stoop down to playing handball to win matches.

However the current shot-stopper of Les Blues is the young and talented Hugo Lloris. We all know him from Championship Manager, but the 22-year old has already established his name in the French league and made some crucial saves in the France-Republic of Ireland game. However he still does not have quite the same experience as our veteran, and maybe that's where he loses my vote. Otherwise it is pretty much evens.

Verdict: Sebastian Frey

So then we end up at a 2-2 draw but I think its pretty obvious while Lyon are strong in every department, our defence is our main weakness. If Dainelli and Co and repeat the performance they put in against Liverpool then we have a pretty good chance at getting the three points we need from this game.