Luccin out to put one over old friends

Real Racing Club's French midfielder Peter Luccin was delighted to be back in his homeland as the Spanish side prepare to take on his former club Paris Saint-Germain FC in the UEFA Cup. But as he looked ahead to meeting some old friends at the Parc des Princes, he stressed: "We're here to win."

'Pleasure'
Luccin has spent the past seven seasons in Spain since leaving PSG to join RC Celta de Vigo, initially on loan, in 2001. After subsequent spells at Club Atlético de Madrid and Real Zaragoza he signed for Racing at the start of this campaign and will be looking to help his team to their first win in Group A this evening. "It's a pleasure to be back in Paris because I was here eight years ago," the 29-year-old said. "I'm back in a stadium I know well. I know some players from that time and it's a huge pleasure to see them again, although we're here to win. My team-mates have asked me about what the atmosphere will be like at the Parc des Princes. I told them only good things about the fans and I hope that the Parc will be full."

Confidence
The Marseille native came up through the AS Cannes youth academy and enjoyed two seasons each at FC Girondins de Bordeaux and Olympique de Marseille before a single season spent at PSG. The holding midfielder started Racing's first group game, a 1-0 loss at FC Twente, but was an unused substitute in the subsequent 1-1 draw at home to FC Schalke 04, a result he believes has given his side plenty of confidence for their remaining fixtures in the section. "After this game we knew we could compete with any team and our aim remains to advance," Luccin said.

Local lad
Four thousand Racing fans will be at the game, and they will be cheering on another local lad as Versailles native Mehdi Lacen also makes his return to the French capital. The 24-year-old left third division ASOA Valence three years ago for Club Deportivo Alavés, and like Luccin, switched to Racing last summer.