Lyon's Aulas urges caution for APOEL tie
Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas has urged caution after the Ligue 1 club were handed a seemingly favourable Champions League last 16 draw against APOEL Nicosia.
The reigning Cypriot champions topped a group featuring Zenit St. Petersburg, Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk to progress to the knockout stage and Aulas insisted it was important that Lyon did not become overconfident.
"We are probably favourites and it is not a problem for us," Aulas told reporters. "But we must not be overconfident.
"We must be wary. Sometimes, Santa Claus can be bad."
Aulas emphasised the importance of the first leg, which will be played at the Stade Gerland in Lyon, as the French side seek to establish an advantage ahead of the reverse fixture in Cyprus.
"It is always harder to play the first game at home," he admitted. "Not to mention that APOEL have produced some great results on their own turf.
"We must be very careful. The qualification will need to be earned in the first leg. We will need to score plenty of goals.
"Anyway, it has been a good week for us, with a lot of good decisions in it." [Goal.com]