Cocu expects Lyon fury

By Brian Brownstein

Tactical perfection
Cocu scored with a low drive after 79 minutes of the first leg at the Stade Gerland, Lyon, to seal a 1-1 draw for PSV, and seemingly hand the Eredivisie leaders the initiative. However, the experienced midfield player is coy about his side's chances and said they must get their tactics exactly right if they are to avoid disappointment on Wednesday night.

Fine balance
"With an away goal, we are in pole position to get through to the semi-final. However, in some ways, getting such a good result could make things more difficult for us," Cocu told uefa.com. "Don't get me wrong, I'm delighted we are in the ascendancy. It's just it can be dangerous because we might start to sit back, look for a 0-0, and try and defend our advantage. In that scenario, if they score it will be very difficult for us to get back into the game."

Attacking approach
Cocu advocates a more attacking approach for his team and said: "I think it would be wrong for us to sit back. We have to play our own game and try to score a goal. That will get some pressure off the team, and really make Lyon come out and have a go at us. If they do that they may leave gaps at the back, which we'll hopefully be able to exploit."

Prolific goalscorers
The 34-year-old is aware of Lyon's fearsome goalscoring record in Europe's premier competition this season and therefore knows killing the game off will be no easy task. The Ligue 1 leaders have scored 28 goals in nine UEFA Champions League games this campaign, and Cocu is aware his team will have their work cut out to keep the French team's fearsome attack at bay.

Pacy forwards
"We cannot be overconfident, because I think Lyon are more or less the same as we are - very strong in away games. They are very quick on the counterattack and well organised," Cocu said. "We're in a good position and we have to be satisfied with our draw in France, but we know it will be difficult on Wednesday because they have excellent strikers. They are very fast up front and we'll have to watch out for them."

First things first
If PSV can get past Lyon, they face the prospect of a semi-final against AC Milan. A two-legged affair against the Serie A giants is something Cocu would relish - although he is not thinking that far ahead. Rather, his mind is totally focused on the task in hand.

'Our priority'
He said: "We have to beat Lyon first before we can think about semi-finals and final and all our energy is focused on seeing them off. If we can beat them then we'll be very happy and look forward to the games that are coming up, but we are not contemplating this yet. This game is the most important thing for the team right now. I don't want to talk about the semi-final and the prospect of reaching the final. That is not our priority."

Phillip Cocu's personal website is at www.icons.com