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Munk bidding for Brøndby shock at Lyon

"It's exciting to play the biggest team in Europe," Lise Munk told UEFA.com as her Brøndby IF team prepared for their quarter-final first-leg trip to holders Olympique Lyonnais.

Lise Munk is hoping for a Brøndby upset
Lise Munk is hoping for a Brøndby upset ©Brondby IF

Brøndby IF may have drawn 0-0 in their only previous competitive meeting with Olympique Lyonnais but striker Lise Munk knows her team are definite "underdogs" against the UEFA Women's Champions League holders.

The unbeaten Danish winter-break leaders visit the Stade de Gerland on Wednesday for the first leg of their quarter-final – a stage at which Lyon have not lost in their previous four European campaigns. Brøndby, for their part, have reached two past semi-finals but the second was back in 2007, and Munk is relishing this opportunity.

"That's a big thing for the girls to play in the big stadium with a big crowd, that's cool," she told UEFA.com. "I am looking forward to it, it's exciting to play the biggest team in Europe. I think we have a chance, we are underdogs so we can play our own way."

Munk was not at Brøndby when they drew a second qualifying round group game at Gerland in 2007/08 but two years later was in the Fortuna Hjørring side that faced Lyon in the round of 16, losing only 1-0 at home but 5-0 away. "We got to Lyon and didn't even touch the ball," the 22-year-old Danish international said. "But you learn a lot from those matches.

"It's good to be in the quarter-finals but we want more, for Brøndby and for Danish football, to get more publicity," added Munk, who is not too concerned that unlike Lyon her club are still in the midst of a winter break. They drew their last friendly 0-0 at home to Sweden's Kristianstad DFF on Saturday with a side including their two new signings, Denmark defender Mia Brogaard and Australia forward Michelle Heyman, to complete their nine-game programme unbeaten.

"I don't know if it's a disadvantage because in our pre-season we have been focusing only on Lyon and how we will take them on," Munk said. "We also had some good matches against some of the best Nordic teams, so we are well prepared."

Since their last-16 dismissal of AC Sparta Praha, Lyon have played ten matches, winning nine and drawing the other, and scoring 49 goals while conceding two. In their domestic standings, they are three points adrift of the team that held them to that solitary draw, FCF Juvisy Essonne, albeit with a game in hand.

On Sunday they reached the French Cup quarter-finals with a 7-0 win at AS La Sanne Saint-Romain de Surieu, despite resting Sarah Bouhaddi, Sonia Bompastor, Camille Abily, Corine Franco and Eugénie Le Sommer, all of whom helped France win the Cyprus Women's Cup last week. Still to make her debut, meanwhile, is winter arrival Ami Otaki, a striker from Japan. "We got a good draw for the quarters," said coach Patrice Lair looking to the Brøndby tie. "It could be more difficult after that. However, we'll have to be ready to deliver."

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