Lyon manager Rudi Garcia sends warning to Celtic

Olympique Lyon manager Rudi Garcia has sent a warning to Celtic ahead of their upcoming pre-season friendly clash.

Celtic are set to face some stern competition heading into the campaign to capture their tenth straight Scottish league title. The Hoops are set to face off against Nice, Olympique Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain in a pre-season tournament ahead of their return to competitive football.

Celtic will not have an easy time of it according to Lyon manager, Rudi Garcia, as they are in no mood for any ‘friendly’ games. The French Ligue 1 has already been called off but they have a blockbuster Champions League Last 16 second leg coming up against Juventus, with a 1-0 advantage in the French side’s favour coming out of the first leg. The Serie A is still going on though and Cristiano Ronaldo’s side are expected to be match fit.

As a result, Olympique Lyon will be looking to return to form in the upcoming three friendly games. And their manager Rudi Garcia has sent a warning to Celtic that they will not be treating any of the games as ‘friendly’ ties as reported by the Daily Record:

"“Preparation is essential and no friendly games will be played.“Playing against Rangers and Celtic, two high-level teams in Scotland, is exactly what we are looking for.“They are two fantastic opponents for us at Groupama Stadium, even if, unfortunately, we will not be able to play with as many supporters as we wanted.”"

Neil Lennon would actually love the idea of facing a motivated Lyon side. It will be a great opportunity for The Hoops to get up to pace heading into 10IAR.

Olympique Lyon are one of the top sides in Europe right now and finished ahead of the likes of RB Leipzig and FC Zenit. They boast the likes of Memphis Depay, Moussa Dembele and Houssem Aouar, and it will definitely be a run out in the park for The Bhoys.