November 8, 2009
Stade de Gerland, Lyon
3:00 EST (21:00CET, 20:00GMT)

Sunday evening it's back to work. But hopefully, it's not one of those usual Monday morning, sloping, sluggish, I need a liter of coffee to get through the day, back to works, because aside from the heart wrenching matches against Cesspool in the CL, Lyon have been afflicted with a general malaise probably since week eight in the PSG match, and need this victory to put some pep back in their step.

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Olympique de Marseille emerged triumphant against FC Zurich on Matchday 3, and Matchday 4 was no different, as the Ligue 1 side comfortably eased past their opponents on home soil. Silvan Aegerter scored an own-goal to begin the proceedings, while Fabrice Abriel, Mamadou Niang, Hilton, Benoit Cheyrou, and Brandao added one each to showcase the dominance. Click to continue reading...

Come in number 11 Marseille youngster Hatem Ben Arfa had a nasty wardrobe malfunction at the weekend. Preparing to come on as a substitute, Ben Arfa stripped off his tracksuit to reveal that he was masquerading as team-mate Mamadou 'Pixie Lott' Niang. Cue much hilarity and a quick sprint for the kitman to reunite Ben Arfa with [. Click to continue reading...

[Spotted on l'OM Offside] Fantastique blog fodder from Marseille's favorite bench-riding l'enfant terrible Hatem Ben Arfa, who had a slight wardrobe malfunction this weekend. Summoned to enter a losing cause, Hatem whipped off his tracksuit to unsuspectingly unveil a #11 Mamadou Niang kit adorning his back. Click to continue reading...

Real Madrid spent plenty of money in the summer to rejuvenate their faltering team. After falling way short of eventual Spanish and European Champions Barcelona last season Los Merengues forked out huge transfer fees on the likes of Ballon d'Or winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, while Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso also completed big moves to the Spanish capital.

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Rafa eyes up Marseille captain.

Portsmouth Vs Liverpool Tickets Still Available!

Marseille captain Mamadou Niang is reportedly being trailed by a host of Premier League clubs.

Liverpool, West Ham and Everton are all understood to be interested in the Senegal international, who scored a wonder goal in the 4-2 win over Montpellier on Saturday.

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After a sensational run of five league games unbeaten, newly-promoted Montpellier were finally put to the sword in a comprehensive 4-2 defeat away to a virtually full-strength Marseille side on Saturday.
And the good news for Didier Deschamps was that he finally got to see a return on the €18 million invested in Argentinean playmaker Lucho Gonzalez. Click to continue reading...

The best of the week in football, played out via the medium of YouTube...
(As ever with YouTube, some of these videos won't last long, so get 'em while they're hot.)
First out of the gate, Wayne Rooney reacts less then well to being taken off in Man Utd's Champions League opener against Besiktas:
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Much ado about nothing, and hardly the 'tantrum' it's been described as by the media. Click to continue reading...

Links to click after you enjoy this bit of skill from Marseille's Mamadou Niang... Champions League highlights and reaction (CL Offside) Top 5 playmakers in the world right now* (FootyTube) Keegan + camer = quality entertainment (Pies) Günter Netzer and the hair of legends (Germany WCB) Football clubs, tribalism, ownership (Pitch Invasion) The Shrewsbury shirt that's louder than even 11 (Unprofessional [. Click to continue reading...

France's Ligue 1 is in full effect and its hottest team is Olympique Lyonnais. Brazilian playmaker Michel Bastos scored the game winner in Lyon's 1-0 home win against Lorient. Claude Puel's team have won 4 straight matches to move into 2nd place behind Bordeaux on goal differential. Lyon have been doing it with defense allowing only 1 goal during their winning streak. Click to continue reading...

Ladies & gentlemen in an attempt to expand Mad About Futbol's reach we are going to start giving you roundups of the France's Ligue 1. France's top league of football is one of the most important in the world and deserves more attention than it currently receives. Therefore, MAF will give you a weekly roundup of Ligue 1 including the scores & standings from the most recent round. Click to continue reading...

Which one/s will be in an OL kit next year?

Well, the summer transfer season is underway, and if rumors are to be believed, Lyon is pretty busy. I don't give much weight to most of the zillion rumors floating around- one of you guys made a comment about not believing an OL transfer rumor untill the player was wearing a Lyon kit, and shaking hands with JMA at a press conference; I'm starting to feel that way.

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Lyon blows by Marseille, 3-1 on the strength of two Benzema goals. Juninho adds another in stoppage time. Sylvain Wiltord scored Marseille's only goal. Jeremy Toulalan and Jean Makoun imposed their physical presence on the midfield and blunted Ben Arfa and Mathieu Valbuena.

Mamadou Niang appears to have been denied two penalty opportunities after Anthony Revelliere charged him in the box.

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Steven Gerrard played a captain's role by taking his Liverpool goals tally to 99 as the Merseysiders opened their Champions League group campaign with a crucial win.
The Stade Velodrome had been the venue for Liverpool's European salvation last season, and Gerrard made sure it was a welcome return to the south of France. Click to continue reading...

We told you the omens were good for a more open Ligue 1 title race this season. Lyon can't have it all their own way forever, and after two games they're in the rather unfamiliar position of not being the top team in France. But it's not Bordeaux either: it's tiny Grenoble, freshly promoted to [...] Click to continue reading...