Nyon (Switzerland) (AFP)

Reunion in sight for Thomas Tuchel: Paris SG will face Dortmund in the knockout stages of the Champions League, while Lyon inherited the formidable Juventus Turin from Cristiano Ronaldo in the draw carried out Monday by UEFA in Nyon, Switzerland.

Paris will travel to Germany on February 18, 2020 for the first leg, before receiving their opponent at the Parc des Princes on March 11 on their return. For its part, Lyon will receive Turin on February 26, then will travel to Italy on March 17.

The big shock of these 8th will oppose Real Madrid, holder of the record of victories in the prestigious European competition with 13 titles, in Manchester City (go on February 26, return on March 17).

Admittedly, Paris managed to avoid Atlético Madrid and Tottenham, the outgoing finalist, presented as the most dangerous opponent of hat 2 by its new coach José Mourinho. But Lucien Favre's Dortmund remains a serious customer with his pronounced taste for attacking play.

If Borussia has experienced irregular results in both C1 and the Bundesliga (3rd in the standings) this season, it is always dangerous to seek a result within its precincts of the Ruhr, known worldwide for its atmosphere and its "wall yellow".

- Tuchel will be "greeted in a friendly manner" -

A threat to be taken all the more seriously for Neymar and Kylian Mbappé since Paris has been unable to pass the round of knockout stages since 2016.

This PSG-Dortmund duel will be marked in particular by the warm reunion of Thomas Tuchel, the Parisian coach, with his former club. Ditto for Adbou Diallo, the former defender of the BVB who joined the Parisian club this summer against 35 million euros.

"We have a coach who knows the atmosphere, the team very well. It is both positive and negative, because it will be special for him there", warned Leonardo, the Parisian sports director at the microphone of RMC Sport. He became a great coach at Borussia, the complicity exists. We can talk about individual stories but in the end it's PSG-Borussia, and that's what matters most. "

"We are not playing against Thomas Tuchel, but against PSG," added Michael Zorc, the sporting director of Borussia, "he is doing his job in Paris, and he will of course be welcomed friendly when he returns to Dortmund".

Tuchel had nevertheless left the club at the end of the 2016-2017 season on bad terms, due in particular to the controversial reprogramming of a Champions League quarter-final against Monaco, the day after an attack on the team bus .

"For us it's a big game, but we have a chance," added Zorc, admitting that the draw "could have been easier".

- "CR7", the main danger for Lyon -

Lyon, who was condemned to fall on one of the big favorites to the final victory, inherited Juventus from Cristiano Ronaldo. In addition to the returns to France of Blaise Matuidi and Adrien Rabiot, the arrival of "CR7", top scorer in the history of C1, will be the main attraction of the reception of the Italian champion, during the first leg.

"They are very favorite, it is a very difficult opponent, admitted Juninho, the sports director of OL. In the 1st round, they made five wins and a draw. It is a balanced team, behind, in the middle , in attack. But in football we never lose in advance, we never lose without playing, we will not give up at all ".

Deprived of its captain Memphis Depay and his hope Jeff Reine-Adélaïde, both victims of a ligament rupture of a knee, the Lyon club is condemned to the exploit.

"Until this match, we will have to solve our problems, improve our performance, especially with regard to injuries," warned Juninho. "To pass an opponent like that, you have to come up with a perfect day".

Relegated to 8th place in the Ligue 1 ranking, six points from the podium, the Lyonnais are far from their goals at the start of the season. Unless this prestige opposition serves as a trigger?

© 2019 AFP