Auxerre's talented Ivory Coast international Kanga Akalé has been another great find for the Burgundy club, but he will be put to the test by Lyon's Malian midfield general Mahamadou Diarra.

Kanga Akalé:

Superb close control, electric dribbling skills and a sweet left foot, Gautier Kanga Akalé has all the trappings of a classic left-winger, and at Auxerre, with three goals and seven assists so far this season, the Ivory Coast international is delivering the most complete campaign of his career.

Born in the West African country’s capital, Abidjan, Akalé’s dream of becoming a professional footballer in Europe followed the well-worn path of many of his African predecessors. At just 17 years of age he took off for Switzerland following a contract offer from FC Sion; however, the dream quickly turned into a nightmare.

Unable to adapt sufficiently quickly to life in Europe, the teenager was left out in the cold by Coach Paul-André Dubosson, who considered him too small, too inconsistent and not physically or mentally strong enough to make the grade. Luckily for Akalé, after an entire season without even making the bench in Sion’s first team, Gilbert Gress at FC Zurich decided to take a chance on the mercurial ‘gaucher’.

Over the next three seasons Akalé would slowly establish himself at the club, making a total of 67 League appearances and scoring eight goals.

But it was with the national team that Akalé first caught the eye of Auxerre assistant Coach Daniel Rolland. Ivory Coast Coach Robert Nouzaret was not the first person to appreciate the winger’s silky skills and impressive change of pace, but importantly, he realised how to get the best out of a young man already marked by his negative European debut.

“He fitted in perfectly to my system of 4-4-2 where he would attack, dribble and provoke the play,” explained Nouzaret. “He’s an incredibly good player, but he has to feel the people around him have confidence in him. He needs to be built up," he added.

After signing for Auxerre in December 2002, a knee injury limited Akalé's appearances from the substitute’s bench to just five. Competing with France international Olivier Kapo and Senagal playmaker Khalilou Fadiga for a place in the starting eleven, Akalé quickly appreciated the need to knuckle down after realising that natural talent alone would not be enough.

But now the hard work is paying off and Akalé – currently second in the ‘assists’ table – is proving one of Ligue 1’s most consistent routes to goal. “I’ve got the backing of my Coach and the players, who know that at any moment I’m capable of giving them that killer pass or slicing through the defence,” he says.

Mahamadou Diarra:

Lyon’s Champions’ League elimination at the hands of PSV Eindhoven was cruelly felt by the club’s players and supporters, but neutral observers were also struck by a palpable sense of regret; Mahamadou Diarra would not be waging his one-man war against the entire AC Milan midfield in the semi-finals.

Diarra’s titanic struggle with PSV captain Mark van Bommel was the highlight of the two intriguing legs of European football and it was the Mali international who took the plaudits.

Diarra quit his native Bamako for Greek First Division outfit OFI Crete at just 17 years of age. After an accomplished first season in Europe, Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem snapped up Diarra at the start of the 1999-2000 season. He already possessed an ability to read the game that was the envy of far more experienced midfielders. His above-average technique and precise passing is coupled with an 1.87m frame that draws comparisons with France skipper Patrick Vieira.

Diarra quickly won the confidence of Lyon's new Coach Paul Le Guen after signing in 2002 and was an immovable fixture in the side’s charge to a second successive Ligue 1 crown. He earned his second and Lyon’s third title last season, but it has been this term that Diarra, at 23, has taken on truly monumental proportions in the heart of Lyon’s midfield.

While fellow midfielders Juninho Pernambucano and Michael Essien have been stealing the headlines with glorious free kicks and timely tackles, it is arguably Diarra who keeps Lyon ticking. “He really takes a load off the defence,” said left-back Eric Abidal. “He wins the ball in the air from goal kicks, he makes the crunch tackle when there’s danger and he’s always there when we need an option. Basically he does it all.”

“We’re lucky to have him,” adds Brazilian stopper Cris. “His attitude is fundamental to the team – he never, ever gives up.” Or as Juninho himself puts it: “Quite simply, when you watch Lyon play, you realise pretty quickly that he is the boss.”

Playing just in front of the defence and behind a midfield-cum-attack that can sometimes leave him isolated in the middle of the park, Diarra is charged, above all, with regulating the speed with which the opposition attacks - a job he relishes. “For me, it’s almost unnatural that someone should out-muscle me or the team in midfield,” he admitted. “And when it happens, then yes, I get angry and I fight back. Sometimes I almost feel possessed.”

In the Bambara language of his native Mali, Diarra means Lion. Dutch maestro Van Bommel will not be surprised be hear that.