Will OL really play European football? Fonseca rotates vs Anderlecht

OL kick off their Europa League league phase this Wednesday after being knocked out of the Champions League play-off. They couldn’t get past Fenerbahçe: the first leg ended 1-1 in Istanbul, and the return in the Rhône finished 1-2 in favour of the Turkish side, as reported by L’Équipe.

The Lyon squad also arrives with a recent European pattern that hasn’t exactly matched expectations: they were eliminated in the quarter-finals and then in the round of 16 in the last two Europa League editions. With that backdrop, Paulo Fonseca set the tone on Tuesday, stressing a measured, cautious approach and indicating he will rotate the squad for the trip to Anderlecht (21:00), according to L’Équipe.

Europa League league phase starts

This is OL’s third consecutive Europa League campaign, and the eighth time in twelve years. So while it’s not the European competition they had hoped for after the Champions League exit, the priority now is to start collecting points in the league phase.

Rotation vs consistency

The storyline heading into Anderlecht is straightforward: can OL balance fresh legs with the consistency needed from day one? L’Équipe underlines that Fonseca’s plan is to manage the squad’s performance and energy levels early, after the disappointment of failing to qualify.

At the moment, the key fact is the fixture itself: OL open their European league schedule this Wednesday at Anderlecht with Fonseca expected to make changes.