Qualified for the UEFA Champions League third preliminary round, Lille OSC will either face Switzerland’s FC Lugano or Turkey’s giants Fenerbahce, who recently named José Mourinho as their new manager.
After having missed out on third place in the standings due to a last-minute goal conceded at home against OGC Nice on last season’s final day, Lille OSC have to go through the UEFA Champions League qualifiers to hope to compete in the best European competition. The North side is entering the third preliminary round, and will have to beat two teams to hope to reach the group stages. With Bruno Genésio’s recent nomination as the club’s new manager, expectations will be high for his official debut, as Les Dogues are likely to face José Mourinho’s Fenerbahce as soon as the third qualifying round, should they beat Switzerland’s side FC Lugano.
To make things even more difficult, Lille will not be able to play in their own stadium, the Decathlon Arena – Stade Pierre Mauroy, which will be used for the handball’s and basketball’s competitions during the Olympics. The club have found an agreement with Valenciennes, located 52km away from Lille, to play in their Stade du Hainaut, which has a capacity of 25,000 seats. The first leg will be played at home, either on August 6th or 7th, while Les Dogues will travel to Turkey or Switzerland on August 13th, with the hope of sealing their ticket for the playoff round.
GFFN l Grégoire Devaux