Despite claiming a 3-1 win over FCSB last week, Paulo Fonseca insists that his Olympique Lyonnais side will face “a difficult match” in the return leg on Thursday.
A place in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League is at stake for the winner, and Fonseca made his ambitions clear: “We’ve got to win; we’ve worked so hard to get here and we want to continue with our ambition to win every game.”
But Lyon find themselves in the midst of a rather unprecedented crisis, with Fonseca banned from the touchline for a staggering nine months after a confrontation with a match official. The 52-year-old is not permitted in the technical area, nor can he deliver a half-time team talk.
His preparations must now take place before the game gets underway, and he assured reporters on Wednesday that he has “spoken with the players about the importance of this match. The mental aspect of things is essential, but we’ve also worked tactically. FCSB are a physically intense team.”
“Not having contact with the players before the match is difficult,” he admitted, “but I have a very professional technical team and players, so it’s not a problem. You get a different perspective watching from the stands!”
“The players are full of confidence. They believe in the team, as we’ve progressed a lot. Defensively, we’re all together. This solidity allows us to have an attacking game that suits the characteristics of our players.”
Yet despite the comfortable scoreline from last week’s first leg, Fonseca warned that “we should pay attention to each and every one of their players. I don’t like to speak on individuals. Their attackers, for me, are the strongest aspect of the team but we should also pay attention to the collective aims of the team. They scored a goal [against us last week] and also had other opportunities.”