Lyon seek Evian tonic

TodayEvian vs Lyon 20:45PARIS – Although bereft of injured playmaker Yoann Gourcuff, Lyon will be gunning to continue their perfect start to the Ligue 1 season with a third consecutive victory at Evian on Friday.Wins over Rennes and Troyes have taken Lyon to the top of the table on goal difference, but Gourcuff sustained a knee ligament injury in the 4-1 success against Troyes that could keep the France midfielder out for up to three months.It has been the only black mark in an encouraging start to the season for OL, who finished a disappointing fourth last term and have brought in only one new player – Serbian defender Milan Bisevac, from Paris Saint-Germain – in the transfer window.Coach Remi Garde’s disappointment at Gourcuff’s injury has been partially offset by the news that Croatian centre-back Dejan Lovren is finally ready to return after nearly four months on the sidelines.Lovren injured his foot at the end of April and was forced to withdraw from Croatia’s squad at Euro 2012, but he could return to first-team action in Friday’s match in Annecy.“It was difficult but I’ve won against my injury,” he said. “I’m now ready to play. I’ve been training with the squad for a week and it’s gone well. We’ll see if I can play against Evian.”Lyon are currently level on six points with Marseille, Bastia and Bordeaux at the top of the table, but victory over Evian would give them a three-point lead at the summit ahead of the rest of the weekend’s matches.Like Lyon, Marseille have put a disappointing 2011-12 season and a quiet summer on the transfer front to one side to make an encouraging start to the new campaign.

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Lyon seek Evian tonic