Lyon waiting on Benzema's fitness

LYON, France: France strikers Thierry Henry and Karim Benzema won't get the chance to face each other when Lyon takes on FC Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Henry hurt his back in Barcelona's 3-0 win over Recreativo Huelva on Saturday and is out. Benzema limped off in Lyon's 2-0 win at Rennes with a heavily bruised thigh and it is doubtful he will play.

"If the match had been on a Wednesday it would have been possible," Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas told RMC radio on Sunday. "But it seems very, very unlikely for Tuesday."

Lyon is third in Group E with six points, one behind Rangers and four behind Barcelona, which will qualify for the next round with a draw. Lyon will be eliminated if it loses and Rangers wins at Stuttgart.

"Lyon is a difficult team. They're playing well at the moment," Barcelona defender Gabriel Milito said. "It's going to be a tough but exciting clash."
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Losing Benzema would be a huge blow to Lyon's chances. The 19-year-old forward leads the French league in scoring with 11 goals and has recently formed a promising partnership with Henry for Les Bleus. Real Madrid has reportedly expressed an interest in signing Benzema for next season.

Benzema scored twice against Faeroe Islands and created a goal for Sidney Govou in last week's 2-2 draw in Ukraine.

"He is still in pain," Lyon doctor Jean-Jacques Amprino told the club's Web site Sunday. "We put some ice on it and gave him some medication to stop it bleeding (internally), so that his leg does not swell too much."

Benzema, who was scheduled to have further tests on Monday, sounded more optimistic.

"I feel like I will be OK, but I await the green light from the doctor," he told UEFA's Web site.

Without Benzema, Lyon may play Fred in attack despite the Brazil striker having only just returned from a long injury layoff. He looked short of rhythm when he replaced Benzema against Rennes early in the second half on Saturday.

With Czech Republic forward Milan Baros out with a knee injury, Lyon coach Alain Perrin could play Govou in attack alongside Hatem Ben Arfa ¡ª scorer of Lyon's second goal against Rennes ¡ª and start Kader Keita in Govou's usual right-wing position.

Barcelona is also without defender Oleguer Presas, but captain Carles Puyol has recovered from back pain.

Coach Frank Rijkaard welcomes back France defender Lilian Thuram after resting him Saturday. Ronaldinho gets his place back, while Lionel Messi is likely to lead the attack. The Argentina forward has 12 goals this season.

Midfielder Deco and striker Samuel Eto'o have not yet recovered full fitness, but Eto'o has started light training. He had surgery on his right thigh in early September after tearing a tendon on Aug. 29.

Ronaldinho has been heavily criticized recently by the Spanish press, but Rijkaard is expecting the 2002 World Cup winner to get back to his best.

"Ronaldinho is not a robot," Rijkaard told Sunday's sports daily L'Equipe. "He is working hard at the moment. My role is to help (him) rediscover the joy of playing. We should not forget what he represents for this club."

Rijkaard expects Lyon to attack and thinks that could suit Barcelona.

"Lyon will not play at home like they did at our place," Rijkaard said. "I think we will have spaces."

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