After being crowned European Club Champions last year, French side Issy-Les-Moulineaux know it will be a big ask for them to retain the title. With such fierce competition including Russia’s four-time champions Primorye Vladivostock, everyone involved with Issy knows that even a place on the podium will be an achievement.

Issy-Les-Molineux Technical Director Fred Gandard says it has been a tough season so far, and it will be difficult to get a full team out.

-         The date of the event is not good for us. Between the Canada and Malaysia Open as well as the Mediterranean Games, it will be difficult to get a full team. But we are happy to visit Poland and Bialystok.

This season in France, we lost in the final against Chambly. We were fine with that, as our policy is to try to have a lot of French players in our team, and not just the best European players to be sure to win.

As well as Vladivostock, Gandard believes Poland’s Suwalki KB Litpol-Malow as well as hosts UKS Hubal Bialystok will have a strong advantage on home soil and have the best team. But he believes that Issy can be still be involved.

-         Our target is to obtain another medal. It will be difficult without our best team. But we will give our best and you never know what might happen.

See also: Hostsfrom Bialystok drawn into tough group

With some of France’s top players as well as the Stoeva sisters who train and live in Paris, Issy will certainly be no pushovers.

-         It’s like a family team. We will have a good time in Bialystok with Jean Jacques Nginn, our famous delegation chief and we will do our best to win each match. As we used to say: Go, go, Issy go!

See also: Seedings to predict Europe’s best club of 2018

Find more information about the #ECC2018 on events.badmintoneurope.com