Lyon star adamant Rangers ARE on their level as Philippe Clement told 'you're in pot 1 like us' after cash claim

French World Cup winner Corentin Tolisso reckons Lyon would be stir crazy to write off Rangers after watching Philippe Clement’s team emerge from the same Europa League pot.

Like Gers, Pierre Sage’s Ligue 1 giants are among the competition’s top seeds. But Clement has tried to heap the pressure on Wednesday's visitors to Ibrox by pointing out their huge financial advantage. Lyon splashed out 140million euros this summer in an attempt to recapture the glory days of the early 2000s when they won seven straight French titles. But midfield man Tolisso reckons Clement’s side will be good value with the bookies too.

The 30-year-old said: ”Rangers were in pot one, like us. I'd say it's 50/50. I wouldn't say Rangers are the underdogs by any means. We're both big teams, playing at the same level. We both made a good start in our campaigns but this week Rangers will have home advantage. Like us, they've not had the perfect start to the season but we're improving and we want a big win."

Lyon got their Euro campaign off to a flyer with victory over Olympiacos last week but sit 11th domestically after a stuttering Ligue 1 start. Tolisso has won almost everything the game has to offer after lifting a Champions League, five Bundesliga crowns and the World Club Cup during a five-year stint with Bayern Munich, as well as the global title he tasted with Les Bleus at Russia 2018.

Asked if he’d love to add a Europa League winners medal to that haul, he said: "I'll keep my personal ambitions to myself. But I feel very good. As a team it's true sometimes we're inconsistent. Sometimes we play well for 25 minutes and then the next 20 minutes go off the boil. Hopefully we can get a level of consistency.”

Lyon have three survivors from the team