Olympique Lyonnais and Hapoel Tel Aviv managers ready for Champions League clash
Olympique Lyonnais manager Claude Puel is hoping to put a halt to his side’s dismal form this season with victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv. Hapoel's boss, Eli Gutman, is mindful of the threat posed by the French giants, but believes he can take advantage of
their poor form.
Lyon has suffered a poor run of results, including a defeat at the hands of newly-promoted SM Caen, leaving them in the relegation zone of the league.
But Puel is hoping to forget about his side’s domestic woes as he leads his men into battle on the continent. Lyon triumphed in their first group stage match agaist German outfit Schalke, and he told UEFA’s official website that he was hoping to take all
three points
“The Champions League is a mini-competition, and you have to build your qualification campaign, taking points where you can. Hapoel [has] good technical players, like Gil Vermouth or Etey Shechter, and they're strong tactically. We have to not take our opponents
lightly, while adapting to the heat which is not very common at this time of year.”
Guttman has revealed that he is hoping to pounce on Lyon’s poor form and make up for Hapoel’s loss to Benfica in their opening group stage match. He told Goal.com that his aim was to take at least a point from the clash with the group favourites — who made
it to the semi-final of the competition last season.
When asked if he could could capitalise on Lyon’s poor domestic form, he said, “I think it's a chance for us to take points. Lyon, Benfica and Schalke are top teams, even if they have been going a bit less well. I am convinced that Lyon and Schalke will
still have great seasons. Often a win can make things click."
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