Vaccines, tap water and tropical heat: how OL Lyonnes and PSG prepared for the Abidjan final | OneFootball

OL Lyonnes and PSG meet in Abidjan on Saturday for the inaugural women’s League Cup final, a relocation that has demanded strict medical and logistical planning, led by Côte d’Ivoire’s mandatory yellow fever vaccination.

According to L'Équipe, PSG arranged group vaccinations between 16 and 18 February at the Intercommunal Hospital Centre of Poissy, opposite Campus PSG. The club left the jab optional, with several players already covered, including Anaïs Ebayilin, Merveille Kanjinga, Agueicha Diarra, Jennifer Echegini and Rasheedat Ajibade. A doctor was available to answer questions and provide support.

Around 50 people make up Paris’s travelling party, which departed from Le Bourget on Thursday morning after receiving a health guidance pack. Players were told not to drink tap water, avoid stagnant water, be vigilant with raw fruit and vegetables unless washed with mineral water, not to pet animals and not to walk barefoot. Medical staff issued insect repellent sprays and anti-malaria medication to all.

For OL Lyonnes, it is a six or seven hour flight to another continent with unfamiliar conditions and little time on the ground. 10 days later comes the Champions League quarter-final first leg at Wolfsburg on 24 March. Fatigue will be assessed afterwards, with five matches in 15 days before the break and training loads adjusted accordingly.

The final training session took place in Lyon on Thursday morning, before an early afternoon departure. Conditions in Abidjan are hot, with kick-off at 17:30 local time, 18:30 in France, and temperatures around 30C with nearly 70% humidity. The return is scheduled overnight Saturday to Sunday, with a feels-like of minus two C forecast on landing, a potential thermal shock.

Source: L'Équipe