Paris (AFP)

Lyon and especially Lille, back in the Champions League after seven years of absence, enter the arena Tuesday for their first games in the group stage, a return to classes also expected on the side of Liverpool, ambitious title holder.

The emotion will inevitably be at the rendezvous for Lille at the moment when will sound the classic anthem of C1, moreover in the precincts of the mythical Ajax, Tuesday (21:00) in Amsterdam.

However, it will be necessary to ignore the pressure of the evenings of Europe to hope to look good against the Dutch, magnificent defeats of the great Real Madrid and Juventus Cristiano Ronaldo last season.

"We are going to Ajax to win, it's a very difficult team to play but I think we have the qualities to win," said forward Nigerian center Victor Osimhen (20), a symbol a carefree young Lille girl next to Jonathan Ikoné, one year older.

The LOSC of Christophe Galtier has little experience but a lot of envy and, on the European continent, the latter is sometimes enough to reverse mountains, as Ajax has shown recently.

On the national soil, the Nordists have a record balance since the beginning of the season, but they managed to win their last meeting before C1, against Angers (2-1) Friday.

- Reunion in San Paolo -

Lyon can not boast of such a balance sheet. Before receiving Zenit St. Petersburg on Tuesday early in the evening (18:55), OL has chained three games without a win (two draws, one loss), a series little rewarding for the new coach Sylvinho.

It will "deliver an equal performance for 90 minutes" against the Russian club because "it's what missed" in the league, advance the Brazilian technician 45 years, anxious not to put "too much pressure on the team ".

The former Barça and Arsenal player, however, wants his team to show more "character". It is precisely this spring that allowed OL to push Manchester City in the group stage last year (2-1 win in England, 2-2 on the return), before snatching the qualification in the round of 16 on the last match, in Ukraine against Shakhtar Donetsk.

For the recovery of the C1, Lyon has a little boost: the Brazilian Malcom, transferred from Barcelona this summer against 40 million euros, will not travel to France. Hit the hip, the winger of 22 years is absent until October.

Liverpool, the title holder, has no worries of infirmary before starting his European campaign, Tuesday (21:00) in the volcanic San Paolo Napoli. And Jurgen Klopp's Reds landed in Italy with spirited morale, boosted by their perfect start to the championship.

The memory of the setback (1-0) last year in this same stadium, also in the group stage, should nevertheless warn them.

"I think it will be a game of the same level as last year, with a lot of intensity and, hopefully, with the same result," smiles the Naples coach Carlo Ancelotti, referring to "a test difficult but very exciting "against the partners of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané.

The British dream of returning to Istanbul, host of the 2020 final and theater of their victory this summer in European Supercup, but the way to achieve it will be very long. And the competition, over-motivated.

This will probably be the case of FC Barcelona, ​​weaned of title in C1 since 2015, an eternity in Catalonia. The team of Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi, recovered from an injury to a calf, goes to Dortmund Tuesday (21:00) to face Borussia.

At the same time, Chelsea receives Valencia at Stamford Bridge. The "Blues", winners of the last Europa League, have not exceeded the last 16 of the Champions League since the 2013/14, ended in the semifinals.

© 2019 AFP