Kondogbia: "Lille is a special game for me, and we have the ability to do something there"

When a player is brought up at RC Lens, LOSC Lille are the eternal rivals to beat - be it at youth or senior level. Geoffrey Kondogbia is one such player, and he is relishing the opportunity to go up against Lille again in the Champions League on Wednesday.

"I played for Lens, and they and Lille are the two strongest sides in the north of France. So it's a special game for me. From the age of 11 to 17, Lille were always a rival team -losing wasn't an option against them," explains the midfielder, who knows what to expect from the French opposition.

"I know the French league fairly well, because I used to play there. It's a playing style that I am more or less familiar with. It's very athletic, very physical and very powerful style of play, in which the ball goes upfield quickly, and Lille have some fast players upfront."

Kondogbia returned to action after injury against Atletico Madrid this past weekend, and hopes to continue building on his fitness in the coming days and weeks.

"After three weeks without playing, I feel good now. I could be better still, but I'm working on it. I hope that I will be at 100% soon, but I feel very good now," he insisted, as well as talking of the importance of the point earned in his comeback game.

"I think that the team come into this Champions League game in very good spirits and very confident, because we just had a very good match against really tough opponents who are very demanding at home. The aim is always to win; this is a Champions League game, so it's obviously going to be very difficult, but I think that we have the ability to do something there. We're going to give everything to try to win."

When questioned about the recent upturn in form for Valencia CF, Kondogbia praised the synergy between everyone on the team as a contributing factor.

"Celades is a coach who is very close to the players. He talks with us a lot. He tries to transmit what he wants. With the squad that we have, we can adapt to many styles of play. We're also friends, rather than just teammates, so it's easier because of that. It's easier to adapt when that is the case. We talk a lot, both on and off the pitch, and the unity that we have helps us -above all in difficult moments," he stated.

"There are always moments in a season in which it's hard to win, and that unity and good atmosphere helps you to get back to doing things well. We've seen in previous years that the unity and cohesion we have allows us to let our ability shine through."