With Benfica, then Lyon and afterwards Bordeaux in the final, OM are starting a very important second half to the month of March. But, the OM manager is focused on Lisbon.

How are you going to go into this match after the 1-1 from the first leg in Lisbon?
When we kick-off the match we are qualified. If we don't concede any goals we will qualify. I can’t imagine starting a match looking for a 0-0, I don’t have the team for that. We will have to defend well like we did in Portugal for over an hour then we will create chances and will be looking to score. If we score that will leave us a little more room to manoeuvre. It will be a difficult match because of the quality of our opponents. In the first leg when we let up a little after an hour, things became more complicated. It will be important to hold on to the ball as Benfica are a side that knows what to do when they have possession. At home they are formidable as they have their public behind them. It will be important for the public to be there in numbers on Thursday, making a lot of noise to to turn it into a real European cup evening.

We are closing in on the end of the Ligue 1 campaign, with the Europa League as well, do you not have too many matches and objectives?
I’m convinced that a qualification against Benfica will be the best preparation for the game against Lyon. Will the Europa League cost us points? It’s something I have been thinking about as well, but it’s a European cup and in Marseille, that’s a tradition. The priority remains the league title. I prefer the league as a way of getting into the Champions League but we cannot neglect the Europa League even if it is only a last 16 match. We are capable of winning the competition, it all depends who we are drawn against. If we qualify on Thursday, and that is something I am hoping for, we will have a very busy month of April. It’s good for the players to have a lot of matches, in the hope that nobody gets injured. It’s difficult to play on all fronts but we will give our all in each competition.

Benfica is the first game in a period that could be a watershed in the season with Lyon on Sunday and the final of the Coupe de la Ligue the week after…
It’s going to be very important! With Benfica, either there is a qualification or elimination. Lyon won’t be a decisive match but important as they are direct opponents. A win against Lyon would put some space between us and them. After all of that there is the final, with a title to be played for. It’s been a while since OM have won anything.