Chapter 354: Europa League Quarter-Final Preview

Kristin didn't manage to travel to Lyon to watch the game due to her tight schedule.

First and foremost, she had to deal with the publicity mess between Zachary and the reporter. Then she had to complete several course works imposed on her by her professors while also preparing for the end-of-semester exams. So, she could only catch the game on television in the comfort of her living room in Trondheim.

"Good evening, everyone," the voice of the female sports presenter sounded as the images on the screen switched to a TV studio. "It's another Europa League matchday. We'll be bringing you the live broadcast of the Europa League game between Olympique Lyonnais and Rosenborg Ballklub, scheduled to start in thirty minutes."

"I'm Emilia Vasquez, your presenter for the night, and with me here in the studio are two football greats who will be our pundits for the game. One is Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the newly-appointed manager of Cardiff City. He previously played for and coached Molde Football, the main rival of Rosenborg in Norway. So, I believe he understands the Europa League underdogs - Rosenborg quite well. Welcome, Ole!"

"Thank you, Emilia," Ole replied as the camera zoomed in on his face. "But don't let Coach Rémi Garde hear you calling Rosenborg underdogs. Otherwise, you'll be in for a hell of an argument."

Emilia chuckled. "We'll get to that in a few seconds. But first, let me also introduce our second pundit for the day. He's Juninho Pernambucano, a legend who scored seventy-five goals for Olympique Lyonnais. A good number of those goals were free kicks. Juninho, welcome!"

"Thank you, Emilia," Juninho replied as the cameras focused on him. "I'm pleased to be here."

Emilia smiled. "So, gentlemen," she said, "let's start with your predictions for this match."

Juninho laughed and shook his head. "I do believe and hope that Lyon will win the game. If Zachary Bemba doesn't perform abnormally again, a win of 2:1 or 2:0 is possible."

"What about you, Ole," Emilia questioned. "What's your prediction for the game between Lyon and Rosenborg?"

Ole sighed. "Honestly, I can't make a prediction before the game starts. On paper, Lyon seems like the stronger side. But let's not forget that Rosenborg is a team that eliminated Juventus and Fiorentina. They didn't just win against the Italian sides by narrow margins — but by scoring three or more goals across two legs. So, Rosenborg is a team that we can't take lightly, especially with their on-form playmaker - Zachary Bemba."

"So, we don't get a prediction from you, Ole?" Emilia asked again.

Ole smiled wryly before saying, "Let's go with a score of 1:0 in favor of Rosenborg. Either Zachary Bemba or Nicki Nielsen might bag the winning goal."

"Thank you," Emilia said. "Ole! A few seconds ago, you said something about not letting Coach Rémi Garde hear me calling Rosenborg an underdog. The statement reminded me about his pre-match press conference yesterday. I believe we should first watch it before we continue."

No sooner had Emilia finished her statement than the studio images on the screen faded in the background. Soon, the cleanly-shaven face of Rémi Garde, the head coach of Olympique Lyonnais, populated the screen. He was obviously answering questions during a press conference.

"Rémi!" Kristin immediately heard a male reporter's voice sounding through the television's speakers. "What is your view on your opponents in the Europa League quarter-final? Do you think you can end the incredible run of the underdogs in Europe?"

"That's funny." Coach Rémi Garde smiled and shook his head.

"What's funny?" The reporter queried.

"Calling a team that has eliminated Fiorentina and Juventus from the Europa League an underdog is definitely amusing," the Olympique Lyonnais coach said. "First, I would like to clarify this point. We'll not regard Rosenborg as a weaker team or an underdog during the quarter-final. Instead, we'll approach the game as if we're playing against some of the strongest clubs in Europe. We can't be careless when playing against a team that put five goals against Juventus."

As soon as the coach finished making the statement, his face faded into the background. Immediately, the screen started showing the images of the female presenter and the two pundits seated in the studio.

"Well, there you have it," Emilia Vasquez said, smiling. "During the pre-match press conference yesterday, the Lyon coach declared that he will treat Rosenborg as if it was a top team in Europe. Juninho! Do you think his attitude will impact the result of this game?"

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"Definitely," Juninho replied, shifting slightly in his seat. "To a great extent, a match result depends on the team's attitude towards their opponents. Let's consider this game, for instance. Many might not agree, but Rosenborg has a strong squad comprising many young talents. If the Lyon coach treats the Norwegian side as the weaker opponent, we might see what happened during the first leg of the game between Juventus and Rosenborg transpiring again. But if he treats the match seriously and encourages all his players to give their all on the pitch, he will win."

"What about you, Ole?" Emilia asked, glancing at the Norwegian. "What do you think?"

"I think the result of this game will come down to two questions," Ole said. "One: Can Zachary Bemba put up another spectacular performance? Two: Will the Lyon players and their tactics be able to contain him? If we can answer those two questions, we can easily deduce the game's result."

Emilia chuckled. "You seem to have a lot of confidence in Zachary Bemba!"

"I do," Ole replied. "He's an incredible player. When I was coaching Molde last year, I researched him on several occasions, trying to find a way to contain him. He has crazy on-pitch statistics that can rival even those of the best players in the world. For instance, he has a hundred percent conversion rate of free kicks in the final third. That means that he has never missed a set-piece placed less than forty yards away from goal."

"Juninho!" Ole turned towards the Brazilian Maestro. "You used to convert a lot of free-kicks during your Lyon days. So, you should be able to comprehend what a hundred percent conversion statistic means."

Juninho smiled and shook his head. "If Zachary can maintain the hundred percent free-kick conversion statistic over the next three years, we should treat him as an alien in human skin. If he can maintain a fifty percent conversion rate in the same period, we give him the 'all-time greatest free-kick taker' title. That's because no player in history has ever achieved such a statistic."

"Except Zachary," Ole pointed out.

Juninho shook his head. "He has only taken a few free-kicks over a one-year period. The available data is not enough to judge if he can become the best."

"Gentlemen," Emilia interrupted. "The kick-off is only in twenty minutes. Let's talk about the squads that have just come in for the next few minutes."

"The Rosenborg coach has arrayed his team into a 4-5-1 formation," she continued. "In goal, there's Daniel Örlund, while the defense comprises the four players - Mikael Dorsin, Tore Reginiussen, Yerry Mina, and Eric Bailly. Thomas Partey, Zachary Bemba, Takumi Minamino, Tobias Mikkelsen, and Alexander Söderlund will be in the midfield. And finally, on striking is Nicki Nielsen."

"On the other hand, the Lyon coach has arranged his squad into a 4-3-1-2 formation. In goal for Lyon, there's Anthony Lopes, while the defense comprises the four players - Samuel Umtiti, Bakary Koné, Henri Bedimo, and Corentin Tolisso. And surprisingly, Coach Rémi Garde has fielded three defensive midfielders. They are Maxime Gonalons, Arnold Mvuemba, and Jordan Ferri."

"He's really taking Rosenborg seriously," Ole chimed in after hearing that part of the line-up. "With three defensive midfielders on the pitch, he will surely be defending most of the time."

"It's better to be cautious than to allow his team to concede two goals in the first few minutes like Juventus," Juninho countered.

Emilia smiled and continued reading the line-up. "In attacking midfield for Lyon is Steed Malbranque, while Alexandre Lacazette and Bafétimbi Gomis will play as the two forwards. Gentlemen! What are your views after seeing the two line-ups? What should we expect from this game?"

"Both teams will most likely play defensive football throughout the 90 minutes," Ole was the first to reply. "The 4-5-1 formation of Rosenborg and the 4-3-1-2 formation of Lyon clearly indicate the intent of the coaches to have their teams defend for a large part of the game. While on the attack, Rosenborg will probably utilize counterattacks while Lyon will use some long balls supported by wing play."

"The two Lyon attackers are very clinical," Juninho chipped in. "If the midfielders can feed them passes, they will surely score. On the side of Rosenborg, there's, of course, Zachary. He has already scored thirteen goals in the Europa League this season. He'll probably score again during this game if the three defensive midfielders don't manage to contain him."

"Thank you for the analyses, gentlemen," Emilia said. "For now, let's first take you to a short commercial break before we return with the live broadcast of the Europa League quarter-final game between Olympique Lyonnais and Rosenborg Ballklub. Stay tuned, and thank you for watching. We'll be back shortly." She smiled as her image faded away from the screen before giving way to the annoying ads.

Kristin didn't stay in front of the TV but immediately rushed to the kitchen with all the haste she could muster. In a short while, she returned with a bag of potato chips and settled back on the sofa. Her heart was already beating fast with anticipation as she looked forward to watching the game that would commence in a few minutes.

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