The seven-times French champions, who had to part ways with several experienced players in the off-season to curb a rampant deficit, have successfully brought through a string of academy graduates.
Five players have made their league debuts in recent weeks, including 18-year-old striker Yassine Benzia (pictured), who scored his first goal to earn Lyon a 1-1 draw at Prague in the Europa League last month.
The home-grown players, including 20-year-old forward Rachid Ghezzal, 23-year-old holding midfielder Maxime Gonalons and 21-year-old playmaker Clement Grenier, have been key in Lyon's strong start to the season.
"I am not surprised that they have all succeeded. I have watched them grow, from the academy to the reserve squad and now they play games that matter," goalkeeper Remy Vercoutre, who joined Lyon in 2002, told Reuters.
"They all play for France's youth teams. So you can regard them as examples. And it is not luck that they play here, because luck is not enough to get you a contract at Lyon."
"When you come from the academy, you want to show that you know how to play and how to win these kind of derbies," centre-back Samuel Umtiti told reporters.
"Our determination will be boosted because we want to show that we have Lyon in our soul. We want to show that Lyon are dominant and that the best young players come from here," added the 19-year-old who is expected to start a sixth consecutive game.
"It is not the leader facing the third-placed team. It is Saint-Etienne hosting Lyon," midfielder Josuha Guilavogui said.
"If we show the same attitude that we had in the [Porto] game, we could recover quickly," coach Carlo Ancelotti said.
