Montpellier coach Rene Girard is not surprised Lyon sit top of Ligue 1, but hopes his side can continue their recent good form.
Les Heraultais are languishing in 12th place but are unbeaten in five league games, with wins over Nice and Bordeaux and a draw with big-spending Paris St Germain along the way, and on Wednesday beat Nice again to reach the Coupe de la Ligue semi-finals.
But Lyon go into the game on the back of a 4-1 win over fellow high-fliers Marseille and Girard told a pre-match press conference: "They are a good team, they played a good match and they are in front in the race for the title.
"They have Lisandro, Gomis, Lovren, Bisevac, lots of internationals and lots of individual quality in their team.
"Even though there are lots of young players, they are a team who always compete at the top level so it is no surprise."
While Girard put his side's early-season travails down to "a bit less concentration, less aggression and lots of changes", Lyon forward Alex Lacazette has his own theory.
The 21-year-old told his club's website: "I think the Champions League has hurt them. When you are not used to playing in the league and in this competition at the same time, it's difficult."
OL have had no such difficulties, but Lacazette said: "Everything can move very quickly in terms of the results of one team and another.
"I do not see one team above all the others. Anything is possible for OL."
Yoann Gourcuff returns from a thigh injury, with Lyon coach Remi Garde confirming: "Yoann will be available for Saturday."
Dejan Lovren, Jimmy Briand and Lisandro Lopez remained sidelined along with Michel Bastos, though Garde had encouraging news to report on the Brazilian.
"He has very quickly recovered from his pain and is desperate to rejoin the squad," he said.
Girard has a goalkeeping problem to contend with. Geoffrey Jourdren misses his third straight game with a rib injury and with back-up Laurent Pionnier also ruled out, youngsters Jonathan Ligali and Baptiste Valette will compete for a starting berth.
Girard can call on Younes Belhanda and Hilton, who sat out the midweek Coupe de la Ligue quarter-final against Nice, and Abdelhamid El Kaoutari who was an unused substitute.
The 19-year-old midfielder broke his jaw in a pre-season friendly against Real Madrid in Philadelphia, and then picked up medial ligament injury in training, which has restricted his game time to three substitute appearances, with his only start coming against Raith Rovers in a Scottish Communities League Cup tie in September.
With Celtic manager Neil Lennon looking ahead to next Wednesday's Champions League Group G decider against Spartak Moscow at Parkhead, McGeouch is set to come back into the side for the visit of the Red Lichties and he aims to make the most of it.
"I twisted my medial ligament in training about a month ago, which put me out for a few weeks," he said.
"I just got back into training a week or two ago and I have been on a few times as substitute.
"Hopefully the injuries are behind me and I can get back into it again.
"It is depressing to be injured because there is a lot of big games at this club so missing out isn't the best.
"Hopefully I can get a good 90 minutes under my belt and show everybody that I'm back to full fitness.
"It's a good platform for me to get in the manager's plans and to keep the thought of me in his head and hopefully, if something comes up, he can trust me to play."
Unlike most people outside Arbroath, McGeouch refuses to write off the chances of the Second Division side.
He said: "It's 11 versus 11 so it could go any way.
"I haven't watched them a lot but I'm sure they could cause us problems if we don't get our attitude right."
During Tottenham's 3-1 victory over their London rivals at White Hart Lane last weekend, a section of Irons travelling supporters mocked the stabbing of a Spurs fan in Rome
A group of away fans were also heard hissing, mimicking the sound of Jews being gassed during the Second World War, and also chanted the name of Adolf Hitler.
The east London club have already taken swift action, with one of their fans banned for life because of the chanting and two supporters cautioned by police for a racially aggravated public order offence.
Now, Gold and Sullivan - themselves both life-long Hammers - hope the Irons can put on a united front in Saturday's televised encounter.
Their open letter, published on the club's official website read: "Saturday's match with Chelsea promises to be thrilling affair and we know we can count on all of you to provide the customary passionate backing for the team that we have witnessed in every game since we arrived at the club.
"That is why we were disappointed to read about the actions of the small section of fans that let the club down during last Sunday's game at Tottenham Hotspur.
"We were not only disappointed because they reflected badly on our club, but they misrepresented the tens of thousands of outstanding supporters who follow the team home and away throughout the season.
"We have both been sent hundreds of emails and have personally spoken to a number of fans, who have all told us that they share our sentiments and are angry that the reputation of their club has been besmirched by the actions of a few mindless individuals.
"We have said to them what we will say to you now - it is up to us all to not tolerate anything that we deem to be unacceptable when supporting West Ham United. In the rare case that you do see or hear anything inappropriate, there are a number of ways you can report the matter.
"Two of the easiest ways are to speak to your nearest steward at the stadium or use the Boleyn Ground's anonymous fan phone number - 07860 404 069 - where all calls will be treated in the strictest of confidence.
"We have made it very clear over the past week that we will not tolerate any form of discriminatory behaviour and one by one we will root out those fans that do not deserve to represent this great club of ours.
"Everyone at West Ham United is looking forward to Saturday's visit of the champions of Europe, Chelsea, and given the news reports of this week, it is inevitable that much focus will be on our club this weekend. This fixture will hopefully provide us with the perfect opportunity to show the world what being a West Ham fan is all about - supporting with pride, passion and respect."
Anti-racism group Kick it Out have praised the Hammers' tough stance following last weekend's sickening chants.
Lord Herman Ouseley, Chair of Kick it Out, said: "Kick It Out is encouraged by the swift action taken by West Ham United in the wake of Sunday's fixture.
"Clubs have the power to show leadership and set an example for the vast majority of its supporters to follow in instances like this. Here, they've done exactly that.
"Kick It Out has seen first-hand the appetite the club has in embracing anti-discrimination initiatives, with David Gold and James Tomkins both acting as campaign ambassadors in 2012. By doing this they're helping to send a message as to what is and what isn't acceptable.
"It is clear they feel abuse of this kind won't be tolerated and, in a period where the issue is high on the agenda, this approach is something we applaud."
