Madrid: Real Madrid can clinch top spot in Group D of the Champions League with a victory against Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday, while Lyon knows a loss against Ajax will see it miss out on the knockout stages for the first time since the 2002-03 season.
Madrid has won all four of its group matches without conceding a goal, while its Croatian opponent is winless and still looking for its first goal of the tournament. Madrid's 3-2 win over Valencia on Saturday was its 11th straight in all competitions to stay top of the Spanish league ahead of Barcelona.
Coach Jose Mourinho will have to make a number of changes to his lineup, however, with forwards Kaka, Angel Di Maria and defenders Alvaro Arbeloa, Ricardo Carvalho and Marcelo all injured. Fullback Fabio Coentrao returns for the match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
"(The match) is easy in the sense that we are already qualified, it's not a risk match where you don't win and you are out of the Champions League," Mourinho said on Monday. "I have to make some changes in my team but I don't make the changes because the game is easy, but because I have some players very, very tired."
The Portuguese coach said Kaka wasn't bothered by a calf problem but that the Brazil playmaker didn't feel fully fit. He suggested Suri Nahin would make his first start since his offseason move from Borussia Dortmund, while Lassana Diarra will also start.
Sahin said he felt no pressure ahead of his likely debut after finally overcoming knee problems.
"I don't know if I'm ready for 90 minutes but I'm ready to play," the Turkey midfielder said on Monday.
Croatian champion Dinamo is waiting on the fitness of goalkeeper Ivan Kelava (knee), and defenders Josip Simunic (calf) and Sime Vrsaljko (hamstring).
At the Stade de Gerland, Ajax can secure its place in the last 16 for the first time since 2005-06 with a win. The Dutch club is three points ahead of Lyon with only one game to play after this week's round.
Ajax travels to France with the club's boardroom in turmoil after Ajax icon Johan Cruyff clashed with the other four board members over their appointment of Louis van Gaal as director. Coach Frank de Boer has refused to take sides in the dispute and has been concentrating on how to cobble together a forward line with his attacking options severely curtailed by injuries.
Ajax is missing forwards Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, Derk Boerrigter and Dmitry Bulykin as well as attacking midfielder Siem de Jong. Teenagers Davy Klaassen and Lesley de Sa have been called up from the Ajax juniors to patch up De Boer's front line.
Lyon is coming off a third straight loss and its first domestic defeat at Gerland, but will be boosted by the return of Argentina striker Lisandro Lopez and Brazilian winger Michel Bastos.
Coach Remi Garde is waiting on the fitness of holding midfielder Maxime Gonalons, who injured his calf playing for France last week, and who sat out the 2-1 loss to Rennes.
"He's got a tight calf, but he didn't hold back with the France team. We're paying the price for it now in terms of the team's balance," Garde said before addressing the importance of the match. "We don't have the choice, it's all or nothing."
Croatian central defender Dejan Lovren is still recovering from a knee injury and unlikely to play against Ajax. Madrid has 12 points, Ajax has seven points, Lyon is on four and Dinamo has zero points.
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