Lille play big against Salzburg / C1 / Lille-Salzburg / SOFOOT.com – SO FOOT

Thinking back to an exquisite night inevitably gives rise to strong emotions. The place, the smell, the gestures, the ambient noise or the silence, the excitement or the tension, these are the elements that revive past sensations that have never really been forgotten. This is what the Mastiffs of Jocelyn Gourvennec will have to think in moderation when they enter the lawn of the Pierre-Mauroy stadium. On this sweet Seville night finished in the intoxication of a success as prestigious as it was unexpected. That evening, three weeks ago, contrary to what it shows every weekend from Brittany to the Rock, LOSC had delivered a full match against an opponent named Sevilla FC announced as an invincible being in Andalusia ( 2-1). This success, his first in nine years in the premier competition, must now call for a second. That’s good, the arrival of Red Bull Salzburg in the North looks like the perfect opportunity to transform the test.

Extend the Sevillian night

Three months have passed since the start of the European LOSC campaign, and the round to Austria appears to be the real black spot on the hunting board. Against Wolfsburg, all that was missing was the goals for the copy to be perfect. Against Sevilla, the timid draw of the first leg was largely offset by the success of the return. There is only on the side of Salzburg, where Yılmaz had taken advantage of a blunder of Philipp Köhn to transform the only real northern occasion of the evening and thus alleviate a bit the disappointment (2-1).

In the game, Gourvennec’s men had started well before seeing the elements playing against them and especially Karim Adeyemi piercing their back line. “Salzburg are a strong team in transition, and we checked that in the first leg, recalled Gourvennec at a press conference. It will be necessary to be very balanced, to be very present at the heart of the game, with a diamond arrangement. We will have to impose our game. We are at home! On the way out, the details had not turned in our favor. There, everything will have to be done for this to be the case. ”

A foot towards the eighth in sight?

To do this, Gourvennec will be able to count on a larger group than in Monaco where the avalanche of last minute injuries had deprived him of good cartridges to preserve a success which once again escaped the Mastiffs (2-2). The absences of Benjamin André and Jonathan Ikoné (accumulation of boxes) will inevitably weigh heavily in the balance, but Lille supporters can be satisfied with the presence of Renato Sanches, Burak Yılmaz and Amadou Onana. Better: the internationals were even able to recharge their batteries to be ready for the big meeting on Tuesday, according to the northerner coach. Especially since opposite, Salzburg is not in the shape of its life: if the Austrian club is still undefeated in the league, it remains on a single victory in its last four games and especially a European setback in Wolfsburg ( 2-1) which prevents him from arriving completely serene in the 59. What further feed the Lille dream of finding the eighth of C1 fourteen years later. “The victory in Seville allowed us to reposition ourselves in this mini-championship. We know what a victory would bring us, says Gourvennec. You have to prepare yourself to make a maximum of efforts and bring strong emotions to the people of the club. Obviously there is in a corner of our head an emotional dimension linked to the match and the event. ” If successful, the LOSC would pass in front of their opponent of the day with 8 points and may even need only a draw in the last match in Wolfsburg to validate their ticket if the stars align. Which would prove that dreaming bigger is not just for others.

By Andrea Chazy, in Lille