Posted by Former Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Michael Essien has cautioned Bayern Munich against underestimating his former outfit.
Lyon after defying all odds to eliminate Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus and Kevin De Bruyne’s Manchester City made it to the semifinal of the Champions league only for the second time in their history.
The French outfit now have a big hurdle to surmount as they face ‘Champions league favorites’ Bayern Munich.
The German champions come into the semifinal clash as overwhelming favorites after pulverizing Chelsea and Barcelona in the Round of 16 and Quarterfinals by 7-1 and 8-2 respectively.
However, former Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Michael Essien has stated that his former outfit should not be written off ahead of this clash, as he believes they have every weapon in their Arsenal to defeat the Bavarians
“It’s possible [for Lyon to win], especially in this one-off tournament format, anything can happen in 90 minutes so you can’t rule them out,” Essien told Tv3.
“In the Champions League, they have the same old traits of hard work, belief and good organisation.
“They play to their strengths regardless of the opposition and that’s why they are doing so well.”
A win for Lyon will see them play in the Uefa Champions league final for the first time in their history.
Michael Essien represented Lyon from 2003 to 2005. He made 96 appearances in all competitions for the club and scored 13 times. He won 2 Ligue 1 titles (2003–04, 2004–05) and 2 Super cups (2003, 2004).
Essien left Lyon for Chelsea in 2005. He enjoyed a successful nine years in London, winning nine trophies, including the Champions league.
The 37-year-old is currently without a club after leaving Azerbaijani side Sabail in July this year.