Ex-coach Genesio: Lyon must use our Man City win and believe

Bruno Genesio believes Lyon can knock Manchester City out of the Champions League if they use the win during his tenure as inspiration.

In last season’s competition, Lyon stunned City with a 2-1 success at the Etihad Stadium in the opening round of the group stage before later earning a 2-2 draw at home.

Now, under Rudi Garcia, the Ligue 1 side face Pep Guardiola’s men again in the quarter-finals in Lisbon.

Genesio was reluctant to take credit for the previous triumph and insisted it could be repeated, pointing to a number of players who remain from that match.

“They have to use that success at Manchester City because a lot of them were in this game,” the Beijing Guoan coach told L’Equipe.

“Maxwell Cornet, Memphis Depay, Houssem Aouar, Anthony Lopes, Marcelo, Jason Denayer…they did it.

“In this context, only one match and behind closed doors, the weaker team has an advantage. They must believe in it.

“But you must not be afraid to take risks, otherwise you are dead because you have to get out of their pressing.

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“That victory was not mine. It was that of everyone, the staff, a president who was behind us and, obviously, the players first. It was a real collective happiness, joy because nobody imagined that possible.

“I was criticised at the time and it was a small collective revenge, yes. I used the criticisms to motivate my players. Rudi Garcia maybe did that also against Juventus [in the last 16], by the way.

“It proves that, in football, you have to believe that anything is possible.”