'Lyon travel to Rangers looking for identity & rhythm'

Lyon have had a mixed start to the season, losing three and winning three of their first seven games

It’s difficult to assess just how big a threat the Lyon squad arriving at Ibrox on Thursday will pose to Rangers' ambitions of back-to-back Europa League victories.

On one hand, the French club have an array of experienced and talented stars and spent an eye-watering amount of money in the last transfer window as they attempt to bring back the glory days of 20 years ago.

But on the other, there is a degree of chaos surrounding the two-time Champions League semi-finalists, where only this week their vastly-experienced goalkeeper Anthony Lopes has spoken in the media about being cast out of the first-team picture with no explanation.

Their start to the season has been a mixed bag, and although they have won their past two games - including their own Europa League opener at home to Olympiakos - they required an injury-time winner to secure a seemingly fortuitous victory over Toulouse on Sunday.

So Rangers, if they perform more like they did against Malmo than they did against Hibernian at the weekend, need not fear a repeat of Lyon’s previous victories in Govan.

Reliving past glories

A young Karim Benzema dazzled in Lyon's Champions League win at Ibrox in 2007

Lyon were en route to a seventh successive league title when Karim Benzema, Juninho Pernambucano and company came to Glasgow seeking to avenge an incredible 3-0 defeat in France.

That they did, by the same scoreline, as Rangers subsequently tumbled into the Uefa Cup and ended up in the 2008 final in Manchester.

But Lyon have not won the domestic title since. Although they were still a decent side when they returned to Ibrox in 2021 with Bruno Guimaraes and Lucas Paqueta pulling the strings, their star has definitely waned.

Indeed they were in danger of being relegated when Pierre Sage was asked to step up from his academy role to take the reins on an interim basis after Fabio Grosso was sacked last November, with the team languishing in bottom spot.

Sage resuscitated the ailing club and eventually led them to sixth place, their best finish in three years, and back into Europe.

The purse strings were loosened in January as Sage was given the manager's job permanently, allowing him to strengthen and mould the squad as he saw fit.

In came veteran Nemanja Matic to steady the ship in midfield, Said Benrahma on loan from West Ham, plus Gift Orban and Malick Fofana from Genk and Gent, respectively, to add to the attacking threat.

All contributed to a much improved second half of the season, but Lyon decided more investment was required.

A busy - and expensive - summer

Rayan Cherki, Lyon's 21-year-old forward, is regarded as one of Europe's rising stars

A restructuring of the club's finances by their American owner John Textor helped pave the way for some big summer signings, although reportedly the existing squad was effectively available for transfer as they sought to stay within Financial Fair Play parameters.

A club record of almost 32m euros was spent on Nottingham Forest's Senegal defender Moussa Niakhate, 20-year-old Ghanaian winger Ernest Nuamah came in for 28.5m euros and Euro 2024 top scorer Georges Mikautadze arrived having only just re-signed for Metz from Ajax.

Those were three of several incomings, adding to Lyon stalwarts like Alexandre Lacazette, Corentin Tolisso, Maxence Caqueret and rising star Rayan Cherki, as well as the loan signing of former Manchester United and Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha.

That business suggests Lyon can once again become a force to be reckoned with, but it would appear they are yet to gel, little wonder given the team that started against Toulouse featured only three players who had begun the win over Olympiakos three days prior.

So much like Rangers, Lyon are a team looking to find their identity and rhythm.