Dortmund-Lille: LOSC in the face of the challenge of the “yellow wall” in the 8th round of the Champions League

Lille facing the “yellow wall”: the LOSC plays Dortmund on Tuesday (9:00 p.m.) its eighth round go from the Champions League with the hope of continuing its journey so far magnificent. For the third eighth in its history, the northern club addresses this double confrontation with the objective of rallying the quarterfinals for the first time.

Since the start of the season, the DOGUES have been galloping on the European scene, with several unexpected victories against the two giants of Madrid, Real (1-0) then Atlético (3-1), confirmed against more modest training like Bologna (2-1) and Sturm Graz (3-2), before a festival against Feyenoord (6-1) for a direct qualification.

“It’s like a fortress, it’s very hard to win here,” confirms the coach of the German club Niko Kovac. As an opposing player and coach, I have never won here. I hope this atmosphere will impress the Lille. But hey, they also won in very large stadiums this season. »»

The threat Serhou Guirassy

Before this poster against one of the most famous clubs in Europe, the Northerners made a non-match in Paris on Saturday (4-1), perhaps already turned towards their continental appointment.

“It is true that on the twelve matches that we played (the four of the preliminary towers and then the eight of the league phase), we feel this desire to refuse defeat, and I think that is what has made our strength since the start of this competition,” said the coach on Monday on Monday. “There are also other qualities: techniques, tactics, and athletic. »»

But to rest solely on this first part of competition would be a trap, according to the 58 -year -old Lyonnais, for whom the direct elimination phase, with its double confrontations, is of a completely different barrel. “Now, you also have to forget what you have done because what is important, in football is what happens,” he said. It is up to us to be ready, to play thoroughly, and especially not to do what we did in Paris, that is to say not to play finally. »»

A defeat that was not likely to worry the international goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier. “I am convinced that in Dortmund, it will be a completely different match,” he predicted at the end of the slap inflicted by PSG. Dortmund is a big team but she does not have the level of Paris, each match is not alike. I don’t feel weakened. »»

They will first have to monitor the Guinean international Serhou Guirassy, ​​top scorer in this Champions League campaign with ten goals scored, to which we must add fourteen in the German championship. The native of Arles will no doubt want to shine against his former club (2015-2016), where he did not win, before shining.

“Lille, it’s very strong, very technical”

Collectively, Ruhr players also have an additional motivation: they only have the European scene to shine. Larged in the league because of a disappointing course, which cost his post to the previous Nuri Sahin coach, they accuse 26 points behind Bayern Munich, at the top of the Bundesliga.

Without assurance of competing in the next Champions League, Niko Kovac players, now on the bench, at least want to sound their anthem as long as possible.

But “French football, and especially Lille, is very, very strong, very technical”, is wary of the Croatian coach. “Bruno Genesio is a coach who not only in Lille but also in Rennes, played a varied attack football. It was not for nothing that Lille was in the first eight (after the league phase): they beat Real, Atlético, they narrowly lost against Liverpool, so we have to expect difficult matches tomorrow and in a week in Lille. »»