Losc starts its Europa League Conference campaign with confidence against Rijeka on Thursday in the first leg play-off (8:00 p.m.), with a more complete squad than the previous season which should allow it to play on different tables. Symbolically, the victory acquired against Nantes on Sunday (2-0) bore the mark of the Lille bench, in particular that of Adam Ounas, who came into play about twenty minutes before the final whistle.
The winger has brought madness to Lille’s hitherto tasteless game, a far cry from the excitement he sparked last season. In addition to Ounas, Ivan Cavaleiro, Carlos Baleba and Yusuf Yazici came into play, participating in the improvement of the Mastiffs in this match, despite their numerical inferiority. Luxury jokers, some of them would probably apply for a starting place in other clubs in the French championship. The sign of the Lille group’s new density. “I’m happy when I look at the players who are on the bench, has also welcomed the coach of the club Paulo Fonseca. We have the ability to make changes. We can maintain the quality of our game. We have more solutions.
This is good, because the northern club has seen its schedule get busy compared to last season, with in addition to its ambitions in Ligue 1, its presence on the European scene, in the Europa League Conference. Lille play five games in fourteen days, less than three days of rest between each confrontation, counting the match against Nantes and the double confrontation against the unknown Croatian club Rijeka, the winner of which will advance to the group stage of the C4.
Paulo Fonseca is therefore pleased that the team is approaching this “important moment” for the club which “deserves to play in European competition, but (must) prove it on the ground”, sums up the Portuguese coach. “This match will be difficult, against a team that I really like, with a lot of good players, very organized.”
As for Lille’s goal in C4, “the objective is to go as far as possible”, comments defender Bafodé Diakité. “Participating in it is not enough. We fought all last season to get there. “I think the group is complete, adds Diakité. If a player does not feel well, we put another, it will not change the quality of the group. The midfield, in particular, is better equipped than during the last exercise, thanks to the arrivals of Hakon Haraldsson and Ignacio Miramon, who are added to Benjamin André, Gomes, Rémy Cabella and Baleba, even if the latter recently joined the whirlwind of summer market rumors. In defense, Losc retained its structure, and tried a bet by giving Samuel Umtiti, world champion in 2018, an opportunity to relaunch his career thwarted by injuries. For now, “Big Sam” is still in the recovery phase.
On the other hand, the prolific striker of Lille, Jonathan David (24 goals during the last exercise), still has a good exit and could leave the North in the very last days of the transfer window. “You know we need another striker, another goalkeeper, maintains Paulo Fonseca. For the other positions, we have players.