Lyon wary of Chornomorets Odesa

Lyon advisor Bernard Lacombe says their UEFA Europa League draw against FC Chornomorets Odesa is not as easy as it looks.

The 10th-placed Ligue 1 side will go up against the fifth-placed club in the Ukrainian Premier League.

Despite the contrasting expectations on the two sides, Lacombe said he is not anticipating an easy path into the last 16.

“No, not too much. No, really,” Lacombe said, when asked if he was happy with the French outfit’s last-32 draw.

“I know this is a team that finished ahead of PSV Eindhoven in the preliminary round.

“They always have a particular brand of football, but it will be especially difficult because they now have a quite peculiar period. They go on a break.

“We hope to be a bit physically ahead of them, as we will resume the championship earlier.

“Anything is possible in football, but we’re not sure much about our opponents.”

The former Lyon boss said the second-tier European tournament was a priority.

“The Europa League is a target for the club,” he said.

“To be in Europe is always an adventure, the players talk about that before the (group) game against (Vitoria) Guimaraes.

“It remains something important for the club and French football.

“We have a young team without experience and all the young players are discovering this adventure for the first time.”