Corentin Tolisso would probably never have dared to dream that his big reunion would take place on a stage like this. On Wednesday, FC Bayern will meet the midfielder's former club, Olympique Lyon, in the semi-finals of the Champions League. For the 26-year-old, it will be his first match against the side of his youth since his transfer to Munich in the summer of 2017.
At the age of 12, Tolisso moved to Lyon, where he went through the academy teams and advanced to become a France international. Now he will meet his former team mates with Bayern in the penultimate round of Europe's elite club competition. On Sunday, Tolisso spoke via a digital press conference about the match with Lyon, the stunning performance against Barcelona and more. fcbayern.com has summarised the most important statements from the event.
Corentin Tolisso on...
In the second leg of the last 16 against Chelsea, Tolisso scored to make it 3-1.
…the reunion with Olympique Lyon:
"It's incredible. Since I left Lyon, I've been wondering when I'll get the chance to play against them and meet them again. I never thought it would happen in the Champions League semi-finals. But it's a good thing and I'm looking forward to seeing some of my former teammates. It will be a big game and they've had a good run against Juve and Manchester City. We expect a tough game."
…the danger of underestimating Lyon:
"We're talking about a Champions League semi-final and I don't believe a team gets this far just by luck, so neither my teammates nor I will underestimate them. The semi-finals in European competitions are always very intense. We must not relax and we know that it will be a complicated game. We must find solutions early in the game and be as efficient as possible."
…the season so far for Olympique Lyon:
"Lyon have been more of a cup team this season. They have come a long way in the Coupe de la Ligue and the Coupe de France and now they are in the semi-finals of the Champions League. As I said, I'm sure we will not underestimate them. Even though from a German point of view they are the least known entity amongst the semi-finalists, I also know that they always show up in big games."
…the 8-2 win in the quarter-finals against Barcelona:
"A result like that is always impressive. We were in good shape, played a great game. Our press was incredible, we didn't give them a chance. We were also good in possession of the ball. We found players in space, that made the difference. 8-2 is an impressive scoreline, especially against a team like Barcelona."
For 10 years Tolisso played in Lyon, where he went from being an academy player to France international. On Wednesday he'll be reunited with his former club.
…FC Bayern's current form:
"I think this is the result of our day-to-day work in training. We have world-class players who are currently in great form and are very successful. That is good for us. We have a very complete team with a very good squad. We have world class strikers who are working hard, like all of us. We're all pulling in the same direction, we all have the same mentality, we have only one target in mind: to be there until the end and to win the Champions League. That's why we have to score goals. That's what we work hard at in training."
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