‘They are a very strong opponent’: Club Brugge head coach Ivan Leko refuses to take Champions League opponents Lens lightly

‘They are a very strong opponent’: Club Brugge head coach Ivan Leko refuses to take Champions League opponents Lens lightly Club Brugge are on a high in the Champions League . The Belgian side came away from Milan with a famous victory over Inter and now face Ligue 1 side Lens. During the pre match press conference , Club Brugge head coach was asked if he see’s Lens as one of the weaker teams he will face in this years Champions League. Leko dismissed the idea almost immediately. He said ‘ The name doesn’t seem as attractive as Inter or Liverpool. But after watching four or five matches, I started to realize that they are a very strong opponent. Better than I had expected. They don’t have world-class players, but they have a lot of quality with incredibly strong pressing ‘. For Leko, the message to his players is clear: they need to press on after their victory in Milan. Over the past few years, Club Brugge have established themselves as a team that is not to be taken lightly anymore in the Champions League. They have shown that they can compete with anyone on their day, and clearly Leko wants them to expect the same from their French opposition. Club Brugge are in great form, with five wins on the bounce in all competitions. Lens come into the Champions League clash having won 3-1 away to Troyes at the weekend. However, their last outing in Europe was a home defeat to Sporting CP. Yet like Club Brugge, they do have a win on the board, having beaten Slavia Prague 3-2 in their opening game. Both sides will be looking at this tie as a winnable won, and for Club Brugge, victory would set them up nicely ahead of a clash with Dutch champions PSV in the next round of fixtures. GBeNeFN  |  Ben Jackson