Lyon go incognito on their return to the Vélodrome

Olympique Lyonnais return to the Vélodrome on Wednesday night, however, following the attack on the team bus in late October, extra precautions have been taken this time around, as revealed by L’Équipe.

Lyon’s bus was the target of attack by Olympique de Marseille fans prior to the ultimately abandoned match between the two sides back in October. The window nearest to now-former manager Fabio Grosso was smashed by a projectile that struck the Italian, causing an injury that required stitches.

Grosso, who was sacked as Lyon manager next week, will not return to the site of the attack, but the rest of the squad and staff will. However, it will be different than last time. It was an official Lyon team bus that came under attack during that night in October, this time, it will be an unmarked vehicle that will bring the players to the stadium. Unlike the official team bus, this unmarked vehicle will have anti-blast windows. They will be accompanied by three security guards for the trip.

Lyon won’t stay in the same hotel either. The location of their new hotel remains a secret. Whilst there was a considerable police presence for the first match on 29th October, there could be as much as double the amount of officers on duty. Marseille, meanwhile, are less concerned about the security in the build-up to the match than the prospect of projectiles being thrown onto the pitch during the match itself. Dialogue is open between the club and fans and steps are reportedly being taken to avoid such a situation.