Sakina Karchaoui: "We're ready to start the season"

Sakina, HOW HAS THE RETURN FROM THE WORLD CUP BEEN?

"We ended on a sour note at the World Cup. We were frustrated because with the squad that we had, we'd expected to go further, but we'll be back for the Olympics. As for the return to club football, we got a bit of holiday time, which is always nice. We're coming back to some new faces as well as to our old teammates. Some players have left while others have joined, so we need to rebuild certain things and pass on what we learned last year to the others so that we keep things consistent. We're also preparing well, and we're ready to start the season."

WHAT DOES THE Trophée des Championnes MEAN TO YOU?

"It's always a prestigious game and a good one to play, and this year, it's against a team that we obviously know well. Our memory of the last one is perhaps a bad one because we lost it, but now, we're out for revenge. We need to win this game and to do so in the best way possible."

IS A BIG OPENING GAME THE BEST WAY TO GET THE SEASON UNDERWAY?

"Yes, and we've had a good pre-season to get ourselves ready for this game. It's a big game, a final, and it'll get us straight back into the swing of things, so we need to go into it looking to win it."

AND IT'LL BE AGAINST LYON, A TEAM THAT WE KNOW WELL...

"We know their players, and they know us, too. There have been transfers in and out at both clubs. I think that everyone is fit; there aren't too many injuries on our side, and I reckon that it's probably the same for them. We're starting off on the right foot, as everyone is here, so it'll be a great battle."