Niko Kovac (Monaco): “We are going to Lyon to win”
Niko Kovac (Monaco coach): “Lyon are a very big opponent. Last season, we fought three great battles against an OL who has since changed coaches with the arrival of Peter Bosz who I know well (both men learned in the Bundesliga). I remember the first leg very well: we dominated, we had possession but, in the end, we lost heavily (4-1) because we had been punished against. We expect a big game in a stadium that will be full. I think we are very close with some teams behind PSG, and Lyon is one of them. As usual, we will go there to win the game.
“We have solutions (to replace Tchouaméni), I’m not worried”
When someone is not there, we must have the capacity to replace them. Obviously, the absence of Aurélien (Chouaméni, suspended) is detrimental because he is an important player for us. On three circles at this post to compensate. Youssouf (Fofana), who was part of the framework for the last season and who greatly contributed to our good journey. There is also Jean Lucas (ex-OL) who joined us this season and Eliot (Matazo), which showed very beautiful things when I called on him. We have solutions, I’m not worried.
Peter Bosz is a very good coach, I expect such a difficult game. He likes to play very high. I remember his journey when he made it to the Europa League final with Ajax Amsterdam. I have faced him a number of times in the Bundesliga and I love the style of play he encountered in place. They have a better team than last season in my opinion, but sometimes it takes a while to put things in place. Their current place does not reflect the level of this team. I don’t worry about them. I just hope they don’t click against us. “