UEFA Champions League Semi-Final: Bayern Munich V/S Lyon
 

Keep this thread for news, updates and discussion related to tomorrow's game between Bayern Munich & Lyon.

You can watch it on Al-Jazeera sports, 9:45 pm (beirut time).

Lyon hit the road for Munich http://www.ligue1.com/photo/moyenFor...makoun_art.jpgWith a volcanic ash cloud still wreaking havoc with air travel in Europe, Claude Puel’s 20-man Lyon squad have packed into eight mini-vans for the drive to Bavaria, where they will take on Bayern Munich in the first leg of OL’s first-ever Champions League semi-final. With air travel to Germany an impossibility, Lyon have had no choice but to make the long trip to Munich by mini-van, driving to Stuttgart on Monday before heading to the Bavarian capital on Tuesday morning ahead of a training session at the Allianz Arena in the afternoon.
Only four players have missed the trip, injuries hitting Claude Puel’s backline: France international Jean-Alain Boumsong (calf), Dejan Lovren (knee), François Clerc (recovering from a long-term knee injury) and Mathieu Bodmer (thigh).
Meanwhile Jean II Makoun, the Cameroon midfielder who scored OL’s crucial goal against Real Madrid in their quarter-final win at the Stade Gerland, has recovered from a groin strain to win a place in the mini-van convoy.
The full squad: Lloris, Vercoutre; Réveillère, Gassama, Cris, Anderson, Cissokho; Makoun, Gonalons, Toulalan, Källström, Pjanic, Grenier, Govou, Ederson, Bastos, Delgado; Belfodil, Lisandro, Gomis

Source

lol awwww 7aram byouslo te3benin l3end el Bayern, anyway guys chilo el maze7 3a janab, Lyon has a got a very good team! I'm serious...young and talented, it'll surely be a nice match-up between these two.

French star Ribery rocked by sex scandal



Four years after his fairytale breakthrough at the 2006 World Cup, Franck Ribery is reeling from a season ravaged by injury, transfer rumours and now allegations of relations with an under-age prostitute.
Revelations about the human trafficking case in which Ribery and his France team-mate Sidney Govou were called as witnesses sparked a media storm at the weekend that refuses to be calmed.
Bitterly for Ribery, his nightmare season had looked like it was about to turn a corner.
Bayern Munich announced to no great surprise overnight that Philipp Lahm would be taking Ribery's place at the press conference prior to the first leg of their Champions League semi-final with Lyon the following day.
"This is, of course, an issue for us," conceded Bayern's director of sport Christian Nerlinger.
"But for the time being, we have to concentrate on the football, including Franck."
Bayern instructed their players not to respond to journalists' questions about the affair.
In Tuesday's training session, Ribery's every move was pored over by scores of photographers, reporters and television crews from all over the world.
Over 1,000 kilometres from Munich, the Spanish press bristled.
Tuesday's edition of the Marca daily claimed that "the scandal diminishes to an almost definitive extent" Ribery's chances of joining Real Madrid, who were reportedly preparing a bid for the former Marseille man.
Paradoxically, the one team that could stand to benefit from the affair is Bayern.
Desperate to cling onto one of their marquee names, the Bavarian club's directors presented Ribery with a luxury pen on his birthday earlier in April and said they hoped he would use it to sign a new contract.
His current deal expires at the end of June 2011 and, prior to the scandal, Ribery had vowed to make a decision on his future within 10 days, with Real, Barcelona and Chelsea all believed to be ready to pounce should he choose to leave Germany.
Persistent transfer rumours have already had a negative impact on Ribery's profile.
His start to the season was delayed by a scarcely credible series of niggling injuries including blisters, swollen toes and tendinitis in his left knee, earning him new nicknames from the media such as 'Krank Ribery' ('Sick Ribery') and 'the French Patient'.
Ribery admitted to a lack of warmth in his relationship with coach Louis van Gaal and the pair enjoyed frosty relations for a number of weeks before a truce was finally called.
The Dutch coach rallied to Ribery's cause in front of the press on Monday, insisting: "He was only spoken to as a witness".
Ribery has also run into trouble with France coach Raymond Domenech, who continues to deploy captain Thierry Henry on the left flank despite Ribery's frequent public utterances that he wants to play there.
Domenech recently promised to chase all the "egos" out of his squad "with a shotgun".

Two more games, and Bayern could be contesting the Champions League final in Madrid. Buoyed by Saturday’s goalfest against Hannover, and “full of adrenalin,” according to Philipp Lahm, FCB now take on Olympique Lyon in the semi-finals. “It's the best thing that could have happened. We were already confident, but winning 7-0 just increases it,” said Louis Van Gaal. “Hannover play the same system as Lyon, so it was good practice.”

A real sense of anticipation has gripped Munich. A 66,000 full house will pack the Allianz Arena, but the club fielded 300,000 requests for tickets. The city and the fans are keenly awaiting Italian referee Roberto Rosetti’s whistle to get the game underway. “We’re looking forward to the match and the atmosphere at the Allianz Arena, which has been sensational recently,” said Lahm, “I can hardly wait for it to start.”

Chairman Karl Heinz Rummenigge reckons FCB have a “50-50” chance of making the final. A win at home would arguably increase that chance, although Van Gaal insisted a goalless draw would also be a good result. “0-0 or 1-0 is better than 2-1. It sounds strange, but it’s how I see it, because we’ve always scored away from home,” the coach stated. Whatever else happens, the 58-year-old would rather his side kept a clean sheet.

Van Gaal feels Bayern’s best attacking chance is down the flanks. “It’s the biggest problem for our opponents. We don’t just have Robben, we also have Ribéry,” said the head coach, who was absent from Tuesday’s final pre-match training session due to a family bereavement. Assistant coach Andries Jonker texted the boss at the end of the session with the news that all the players are fit, including Ribéry, who sat out training for two days with a strain. “He completed the session,” Jonker reported.




On Monday, Van Gaal specifically praised the France star’s improved form as he slowly but steadily recovers from injury. “He’s improving with every game and his contributions are always decisive, with goals and assists. And he’s not just attacking, he’s getting through his defensive work too. He’s increasingly fit.” Lahm shared the coach’s opinion: “Lyon will be full of respect for our forward line.”

Wednesday’s visitors will field a makeshift defence due to injury, but the only men ruled out for FCB are suspended duo Holger Badstuber and Mark van Bommel. Van Gaal agreed that the captain’s absence was “a loss to the team,” but expressed confidence in the men expected to stand in. Diego Contento is likely to replace Badstuber, with Danijel Pranjic set to deputise for Van Bommel. The left-sided Croat filled in for Bastian Schweinsteiger in the quarter-final home meeting with Manchester United, and is now the prime candidate to play alongside the Germany international as a second holding midfielder.

“We face two tough matches. Lyon are a different calibre compared to Hannover,” warned Rummenigge. “The previous match in the Bundesliga counts for nothing now. This is a completely different competition,” agreed Lahm, although the full-back made no secret of his confidence: “The last few weeks have shown we’re in good shape, and we emphasised that at the weekend.”

Nevertheless, the FCB camp is highly respectful of Lyon, who eliminated Liverpool at the group stage and Real Madrid in the Round of 16. The former serial Ligue 1 champions won their domestic title seven times in a row from 2002 to 2008, and Van Gaal has had OL watched on a number of occasions. “They’re physically very strong and aggressive. They play as a team ,and they have quick players for counter-attacks,” the coach commented. “So we’ve been warned,” remarked defender Daniel van Buyten.

Two more games, and Bayern could be contesting the Champions League final in Madrid! “It’ll be hard, but we know we’re on form,” said Lahm. Ivica Olic delivered the final promise: “We’re ready.”

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/9791/match2o.jpg

they look like a bunch of Nazis :hawhaw:

RED CARD RIBERY :O :O :O omg lol tghayyar kel chi ya jame3a ): Lyon <3 :hawhaw:

yeah but actually he doesn't deserve it I wonder how Bayern will comeback without Ribery

this is a f***in wrestling match