INTERVIEW
After the qualification of PSG against Leipzig, can Olympique Lyonnais in turn create the feat and join the capital club in the Champions League final? On Wednesday evening, Rudi Garcia's men will have to overcome the immense obstacle formed by Bayern Munich, which is the big favorite of the competition, after their impressive victory against Barcelona in the quarter-finals. But for the former Lyon coach Gérard Houllier, OL have the weapons to surprise. "I believe in it", he assures the microphone of Europe 1.
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After their great victory against Manchester City in the quarter-finals, "I think the players will benefit from the extra form of confidence you get on a course like this, to play to win," said the former technical director national to the French Football Federation, for whom the unprecedented format of the "Final 8", with the absence of home and away matches, can work in favor of the Lyonnais. "When you play a qualifying game, it's different than a round trip. There is no calculation, you have to play to win."
"Let there be no second of regret"
If he was in the place of coach Rudi Garcia, what would Gérard Houllier advise his players before the confrontation? "That there is no second of regret on what we are going to do, answers the guest of Europe 1, that we are not inhibited by a form of restraint or fear, and that we say it's our game, probably the most important of our season. And while OL remain a fairly young team, especially in the midfield, Gérard Houllier remains "confident". For him, "youth also have advantages, including that of braving, of not being afraid, but also of loving responsibility".
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"Why not a Franco-French final?", Wants to believe the former coach, believing however that the PSG, "impressive", would have an advantage in the final. And Gérard Houllier to congratulate himself on this superb course of the French teams, which prove that the teams of Ligue 1 "can be competitive and beat the top names of the foreign championships".