Lyon and France star Camille Abily is keen on a showdown with Manchester City Women in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League as the remaining eight clubs prepare for tomorrow’s (Friday) draw writes KIERAN THEIVAM…
Abily, 31, who has won the tournament three times with her current club, was speaking ahead of France’s next international match this coming weekend, when they host England’s Euro 2017 opponents Spain in Le Mans.
But ahead of that fixture, she and her Lyon teammates will be glued to their screens on Friday when the draw for the last eight of Europe’s premier club competition is made, and she admitted a tie against the newly crowned FA Women’s Super League champions, was appealing.
“Why not Manchester City? It would be good to play against a great team and a good name,” she said.
“It would be nice to have City and I think we could get a lot of people to the game if it’s against a great name like Manchester City or Barcelona, why not?”
A City vs Lyon encounter is sure to whet the appetite of many fans of the women’s game, but with the current holders having bagged 17 goals over two legs in the last 16 against FC Zurich, it may be a clash City fans would prefer to avoid until later in the competition.
Meanwhile, Abily and her France team play their last fixture of the year this Saturday against Spain, with the two teams last meeting at Euro 2013, in England’s group, where a Wendi Renard header proved the difference.
The FIFA Best Player nominee believes the game against Spain will be a tough one, outlining that their opponents are improving year on year.
“Spain is better and better each year,” she said.
“They have great players like Veronica Boquette, and some players played in France with PSG, so we know them a bit better and they like to have the ball.
“It is going to be hard to win this game.”
France are now of course playing under a new coach, Olivier Echouafni, following the departure of Philippe Bergeroo after the summer Olympics.
Abily concluded that her new coach was more forward focused, which she hoped would benefit her side after the goalless draw last time out against England.
“Olivier was a great player, he loves possession and wants to play forward, when we played with Bergeroo it was good, but it was more defensive,” she said.
“Now we work a lot offensively and I think we need that, because against England we didn’t create a lot of chances, and we think we need to improve on that.”
Abily is one of ten players on The Best FIFA Women’s Player shortlist alongside the likes of teammates Amandine Henry (France) and Dszenifer Marozsán (Lyon). The winner is due to be announced in Zurich on 9th January.
