Special envoy to Lisbon,
"If we go to the final, we will have really deserved it," says Rudi Garcia. And how ! After finishing second in their group, behind Leipzig and ahead of Benfica and Zenith Saint Petersburg, Olympique Lyonnais will have had to rule out Juventus in the 8th, Manchester City in the quarters and therefore Bayern Munich, his opponent in the semi-finals, this Wednesday in Lisbon (9 p.m., on TF1 and RMC Sport 1). The road traveled by the Gones to reach the last four, a first since 2010, has already been daunting.
Heartache
Moreover, ten years ago, it was already Bayern who had ruled out OL, notably with a hat-trick signed Ivica Olic in the return match, at Gerland. 3-0 victory for Thomas Müller, David Alaba and company, after a 1-0 success in Germany. “At the time, I was at the OL training center. During this match, I was a ball picker. It hurt my heart a lot. I remember… It had marked me, says Corentin Tolisso. Ten years have passed. I am with Bayern. I hope the outcome will be the same (smile). "
Still, the ascent promises to be even more delicate this time for Rudi Garcia's players. Harder than against Juventus and Manchester City, who are however two big names. An uncategorized collar. Fallen from Chelsea in the round of 16, the German champions remain on a show of force against Barça last Friday in the quarterfinals (8-2). Their 19th victory in a row, all competitions.
"FC Barcelona lacked aggressiveness and humility, to say that opposite, it was Bayern Munich, and that we had to get high to get the ball back together."
Juninho“A football lesson,” enthuses Juninho, who sees this Bavarian team as “an example, an inspiration”. The Lyon sports director, however, notes in passing that "FC Barcelona lacked aggressiveness and humility, to say that opposite, it was Bayern Munich, and that we had to get high to get the ball back together . I think we can and should do more in this area. "And" Juni "to continue:" You never lose before the game. So we must continue to work, with this humility. "
This is what made the strength of this team. This ambition tinged with unconsciousness, this freshness of a group that arrived in Lisbon as an outsider, or even Petit Poucet. Without forgetting the winning choices of Rudi Garcia, the talent of the individuals and the strand of success that is going well. "They did not know that it was impossible, so they did it", summarizes Houssem Aouar, taking again the famous sentence of Mark Twain.
No limit
However, it will not be necessary to count on the effect of surprise this time, nor on a Bayern who would be bloated with sufficiency after his Barcelona card. “I don't think we can get to this stage of the competition by luck,” notes Corentin Tolisso, who still regularly follows his training club. At no time, me or my teammates, will we underestimate OL. There will be no relaxation on our part. " Good news ? The Lyonnais do not care about any surprise effect. Their pattern is now well known. Their playing principles too. Their discipline, their rigor and their aggressiveness. You still have to know how to take advantage of your highlights to find the opening, as they did so brilliantly against Man. City.
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Afterwards, the Lyonnais have no reason to set a limit. “The appetite comes with eating,” insists Rudi Garcia. Especially knowing that this format, without a return match, can only promote OL's chances. “Knowing that it is in a match, the mental preparation is easier, confirms Juninho very honestly. On a match, the favorites see their margin decrease a little. Even if we know that the opponents are seen as stronger than us, if we play like that, we can play against any team. "
Even against Bayern Munich? The dream of an accession to the Champions League final on August 23 will go through this. Otherwise, President Aulas' players will have a long week to rethink their brilliant but frustrating journey in the cups (French Cup half, Coupe de la Ligue final, half in C1) before attacking Ligue 1 and a season without European Cup, for the first time since 1997-1998. It will be against Dijon, August 28, on the second day. The trip to Montpellier, initially planned this weekend on behalf of the first round, has already been postponed to September 16.
Read also
- Champions League: Calendar / Results