Olympique Lyonnais – RC Strasbourg Alsace

– kick off: 19:45 GMT

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Lyon were busy in the summer transfer window, with Boateng and Shaqiri joined by Chelsea left-back Emerson Palmieri, fellow Brazilian Henrique and another center-back to Damien Da Silva in the arrivals hall at Groupama Stadium.

After dropping seven of possible nine points in their first three games, new coach Peter Bosz hopes to quickly turn his new set into a working unit – ninth place, just one point and four places above Sunday’s visitors, not one. President of the Jean -Michel Aulas look club will have been sought before the campaign.

Defensive reshuffle

Emerson and Da Silva were two of Lyon’s four full-backs as things finally seemed to shift into high gear in the last game before the international break, with Lyon losing 1-0 to FC Nantes, although Da Silva was sent off at the Stade de la Beaujoire and is unavailable against Strasbourg. With Marcelo relegated to the reserves, Boateng’s arrival could hardly be more timely.

Look: The highlights of Lyon’s 1-0 victory in Nantes

“I’m playing a leadership role, but I don’t want to walk into the locker room and say, ‘Hey guys, here’s the boss,’” Boateng said in his unveiling earlier this week. “You can always talk to me. I see myself as a link between the coach and the team and I want to bring my experience here. And I want to pass on to the team this winning mentality that I have acquired during my career.”

Boateng is expected to insert himself directly into the central defense alongside Sinaly Diomandé, 20, at Groupama Stadium, while Shaqiri, who was in the stands for the Nantes game, pushes for Karl Toko Ekambi’s place on the left flank if not that of Houssem Aouar. place at n ° 10 behind central striker Moussa Dembélé. Jeff Reine-Adélaïde, with a torn LCL, is the only longtime absent from Lyon.

Ajorque in shape

Strasbourg haven’t beaten Lyon since a 3-2 win at the Meinau stadium in May 2018, but they were even more convincing than Sunday’s hosts in their last game before the international break, with Ludovic Ajorque making two assists in 3-2 victory over Stade Brestois 29.

Good deals, loans and free transfers were the order of the day for Strasbourg before the recent transfer window closed, with the arrival of Frédéric Guilbert and Maxime Le Marchand from England while Jean-Eudes Aholou made a pleasant comeback from the ‘AS Monaco. Kévin Gameiro – holder of two career goals against OL – is also an exciting arrival from Valencia.

Look: The highlights of Strasbourg’s 3-1 victory over Brest

Racing have also been linked with Hatem Ben Arfa – a free agent after his release from the Girondins de Bordeaux – but Bosz’s opponent Julien Stéphan is satisfied whether or not he acquires the player who has thrived so much under him. as a Stade Rennais FC player between 2018 and 2020.

‘Do the maximum’

“The club have done their utmost in the transfer market,” he said. “We needed to strengthen ourselves because we were really behind some of the other clubs. Everyone at the club was well aware of that.”

“We are better than last year,” admitted winger Adrien Thomasson. “We only survived the last day. There was a change of coach [Stéphan replacing Thierry Laurey], and recruiting to aim higher and not be afraid. Finishing between eighth and 12th shouldn’t be out of reach. “

Strasbourg are deprived of midfielder Ibrahima Sissoko with a knee injury, but Stéphan has an otherwise fit – and rebuilt – side to appeal to against Lyon.

Possible alignments

Lyonnais: Lopes; Dubois, Boateng, Diomandé, Emerson; Caqueret, Guimarães; Paqueta, Aouar, Toko Ekambi; Dembele

Strasbourg: Salts; Guilbert, Perrin, Djiku, Le Marchand, Liénard; Thomasson, Aholou, Bellegarde; Ajorque, Gameiro