Servette appoint former LOSC Lille coach ahead of Utrecht clash | OneFootball

FC Utrecht’s Thursday night Europa League opponents, Servette, come to the Netherlands with a new manager in Jocelyn Gourvennec. Despite the first-leg defeat, the coach remains optimistic about his chances of making his debut for the Swiss club.

“Of course, FC Utrecht are in a better position after last week, but we want to make it a good match,” Gourvennec said, keeping his hopes high. The French coach, making his first appearance outside his home country, has a background with Girondins de Bordeaux, Guingamp, and LOSC Lille, among others.

“I’ve experienced the Europa League and the Champions League as a player and as a coach. I’m very happy to relive that,” said Gourvennec. “We have only one mission: give it our all, stick to our game plan, and make as few mistakes as possible.”

Gourvennec continued, “We’ve worked well in three training sessions over the past few days. A new coach always has his own ideas, but I have to take the current situation into account.”

Although the Swiss side are missing a few key men through injury, the boss asserts that his team are “making the best of it”. Incidentally, as Voetbal International report, the Swiss media didn’t exactly turn out in large numbers for Gourvennec’s second press conference. Only one member of the Swiss press was present.

Last week, FC Utrecht fell behind in Switzerland, but in the space of 10 minutes, they came back to win 3-1. This puts the fourth-placed team from last season’s Eredivisie season in a good position for the second leg. They take to the Domstad pitch at 7:00 pm (BST).

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield