‘We let our officials deal with sanitary problems’: Lyon boss Rudi Garcia shrugs off coronavirus fears ahead of Champions League clash at Juventus
- Lyon are set to welcome Juventus for their Champions League last 16 clash
- The Turin side arrive on Wednesday with the reverse scheduled on March 17
- There is concern in Italy with the coronavirus outbreak causing fixture chaos
- A number of Serie A games have been cancelled or played behind closed doors
- Manager Rudi Garcia said the team’s only focus was preparing for the match
Olympique Lyonnais are fully focused on their Champions League games against Juventus and refuse to be concerned by the coronavirus outbreak hitting Italy, their head coach Rudi Garcia told a news conference.
Lyon said earlier that Wednesday’s last-16 first leg would go ahead as planned following the ‘French authorities decision to keep (the game) in its initial configuration’.
The death toll in the coronavirus outbreak in Italy, Europe’s largest so far, rose to seven on Monday as the country shut down much of its wealthy north to curb the spread of the disease.
Lyon boss Rudi Garcia said he had no coronavirus fears ahead of the game against Juventus
‘We are focused on the pitch and nothing else,’ Garcia said.
‘We let our officials deal with sanitary problems related to the coronavirus.’
The disease has spread in Italy from the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto, with new cases reported in central Tuscany, the coastal region of Liguria and Sicily in the south.
The total number of cases in the country has risen to more than 280 and several sporting events have been cancelled and Serie A matches have been ordered to be played behind closed doors.
The return leg between Lyon and Juventus is scheduled to be played on March 17 in Turin in the region of Piedmont, neighbouring Lombardy and Liguria.
Italy has had the largest coronavirus outbreak in Europe so far, with 280 cases reported
A number of games have been cancelled or played behind closed doors due to the disease