Léo Pétrot faces a personal and professional test on Wednesday evening as Anderlecht kick off their Europa League campaign against Olympique Lyon. The 29-year-old defender, signed from Elche this summer, must help his new team to a strong start in the revamped tournament format.
Pétrot has a past with Saint-Etienne, Lyon's historic rivals. "Playing against Lyon is always special for me," the Frenchman responds. He stresses, however, that the historic feud between those two clubs is now irrelevant. "I play for Anderlecht at the moment, so that rivalry between Saint-Etienne and Lyon doesn't count now," says Pétrot. For him, it's only about securing three points for his current employer.
The defender, who has become a regular starter under coach Vitor Bruno, sees the European night as one of the reasons he chose Anderlecht. He anticipates a direct battle with Lyon's dangerous striker Loïs Openda, who has already scored twice this season. Pétrot calls him a very good player but emphasises that Anderlecht must defend strongly as a unit.
Preparations have been complicated by an injury to his usual defensive partner. Giulian Biancone picked up a knock last Friday during the 0-1 league win at KV Mechelen. That victory moved Anderlecht up to seventh place in the Jupiler Pro League, with ten points from six matches. The team sits six points behind leaders Union St. Gilloise. The full league table can be found on our standings page.
The match against Lyon kicks off at 21:00 at a packed Lotto Park and will be broadcast live on VRT Canvas from 20:40. For Anderlecht, it is the first of eight league phase matches in the reformed Europa League. After the European adventure, an important league match against fifth-placed Zulte Waregem awaits on Saturday. The full schedule is available in our fixtures.
This story first appeared at Sporza
