In a cross interview given to the media Foot11, the former Mastiffs Djezon Boutoille, Mathieu Robail and Sébastien Michalowski returned to the Champions League draw, which reserved Chelsea for Lille.
For Mathieu Robail, Chelsea, recent winner of the Champions League, will be difficult to beat. According to the former LOSC player, scorer in the 2006 Mastiffs campaign in the Champions League, the Northerners are unlikely to pass against a superior opponent on paper: “It’s still a big draw. Indeed, he is the defending champion. It was the biggest draw possible knowing that Lille still finished first in their group. I think they could have stumbled upon a more affordable team. It remains a beautiful poster. For LOSC, it’s extraordinary to play a club like Chelsea. Why not create the feat, even if I think it will be very complicated ”.
Passed by the LOSC during the 2001-2002 season, Sébastien Michalowski, who had participated in two Europa League matches in 2001, confides to Foot11 having seen a conquering LOSC in the group stage: “The LOSC came out of a rather complicated pool. Pool matches are more complicated than classification matches. In addition, I saw very good play, forward play despite the departure of goalkeeper Mike Maignan who had a very good season. Defensively, it’s solid. In the middle, the players are hardworking and in front it is efficient. Lille is a great complete team ”.
Finally, the former LOSC captain, Djezon Boutoille, also interviewed, returned to some of his best European memories with the Mastiffs: “For our time, it was the Champions League preliminary round game where we meet Parma. It was a bit like the round of 16 for Lille-Chelsea where everyone gave us the loser with a tiny percentage of qualification. We win 2-0 on the first leg and lose 1-0 on the return. We have beaten all the odds. This match opens the doors to the group stage of C1. This match is the match that marked a whole generation. We had to play in Lens. These matches mark a career ”.
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