In details, Mr Michel said the following:
On the side’s large number of newcomers compared to PSG that features only the addition of Kavani, an on how much this will play a role in Tuesday’s fixture:
“Indeed, they have changed only one player and also their head coach which is also important. Of course, he will be as good as Ancelotti was, however this is a significant change and he has to adapt to his new team; the same applies to his players, so we are even. Changing many players is certainly a major change, but changing the coach is nothing short of”.
On PSG’s image in Greece as a “wealthy” club:
“They look great when watched on HD, as far as I know! We know PSG very well, because first this is our job and second it is a very important club. It is one of the most well-known club in the world, with star-players and a style of play globally recognized. We have the full picture, yet this is not enough, because in football the ones to call the shots are the players”.
On whether he will change tactics compared to those applied during domestic championship fixtures:
“We cannot do that, our team is designed to play in this way and we have no other choice. We cannot change; tomorrow we will be as aggressive and strong we may and the match allows for; just like we do for the Greek championship. That’s how we will play tomorrow and, more times than not, when we are aggressive, we get positive results and we hope that this will be the case also tomorrow. So, this is how we will play; we will make Silva running after Mitroglou and not the other way”.
on whether Bong will be at his disposal for the match:
“We have a training session next and we will check his condition. The truth is that his foot is still swollen but we have another 24 hours until tomorrow night and we hope to see him recovering”.
On the advise he would give to his players given his extensive experience in European fixtures:
“I don’t like giving advice because I believe that my players are very experienced to handle such a match like tomorrow’s. This will be a great encounter for us and all Olympiacos fans; the stadium will be packed with approximately 35 thousand people on our side. This is going to be a match of prestige and all players want to tackle it in the best possible way.
Our incentive for tomorrow’s match, the desire and eagerness of my players to feature, is an advantage for us and, I believe, it will lead us to a positive outcome.
My experience as a coach in Champions League fixtures is very small; however, I see that my team is fully ready and looking forward to tomorrow’s match, they strongly want to win and I trust my players. Despite my respect and admiration to PSG, I absolutely trust my players”.
On whether he will go after the win or settle with a draw:
“No matter the opponent, we never go for the draw, we always fight to win. No matter how much we admire PSG, this is our objective for tomorrow’s match and this doesn’t change in any way
Το ποδόσφαιρο μου έχει μάθει μέχρι τώρα ότι όποιος στοχεύει στην ισοπαλία είναι σαν να προσκαλεί την ήττα οπότε κι εμείς θα πάμε μόνο για την νίκη».
On any potential plans to contain Ibrahimovic in particular:
“I don’t know if I have enough plans to face Ibrahimovic, Kavani and all other great PSG players. I have a plan but I don’ know if that’s enough. Imagine me saying that I do have a plan to contain Ibrahimovic and then Kavani scoring all the goals! I assume that wouldn’t have been a great plan”.
On the things that will judge the result of the match and the potentially win-securing assets that Olympiacos has and PSG doesn’t:
“We are playing at home, we have a very strong will, anticipation and aspiration for tomorrow’s match; I don’t know if these are enough but we do want to get the win very match. Moreover, we want to see if we can keep the great pace we display domestically against such a strong opponent like PSG. If I were a PSG member, I wouldn’t feel that relaxed for tomorrow”.
On his part, Kostas Mitroglou said:
On whether there is some secret to help Olympiacos achieve its goal:
“We have to do what our coach will tell us. It is necessary to stay focused during all 90 minutes of the match. At this level, if not, one may get “hurt” really quickly. We will try to give 100%, in order to take out a positive result, the one we want”.
On PSG’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities:
“This is very strong squad. They feature some of the world’s top players in all positions. We are concerned only with our own team and we will stay focused in order to achieve our goal”.
On whether his two consecutive hat-trick have helped him be on shape and whether he’s got a good match with Saviola:
“The important thing is that we registered two important wins, and not that I scored these six goals. What matters is that the team won. This is what we want, to see Olympiacos victorious. We work fine with Saviola, and the same applies with all young players who joined the club. I believe that all of them will help massively both in Champions League and the Championship”.
ClickHEREto watch the video of Olympiacos FC’ pre-match Press Conference.
