Victor Sanchez:
What were your impressions of Hapoel? What must you do in order to safely return home with the qualification?
“As Milivojevic just said, this is hardly the place to discuss our plans for tomorrow’s match. Our impressions of Hapoel is that, tactically speaking, they are a well-organized squad, efficient in set pieces and counter-attacks. We are here to turn things around. We want to make it to the next stage. We have a solid picture of our opponent and we shall show them respect as we did in the first leg”.
Durmaz won’t be here. How will you tackle with his absence? For instance, will Chori or Cambiasso play?
“We are a big club and like all big clubs we have a good roster; so, everyone who is part of it may be in the starting XI or at the bench. We haven’t decided yet. Any player is ready to fill any gap”.
Beyond tactics and formations, players’ psychology play an equally important role. You daily live with them, so do you think that they are up to the task of earning this qualification in Israel?
“As Luka said, there is always pressure in clubs like Olympiacos. We are a club fighting every year to win the championship; a club used to living with and playing under such pressure. We always want to win and deliver attractive football”.
In the 1950s and 1960s, we had Vaggelis Helmis as head coach, a person who won many championships and shares the same first name with our President. When asked by journalists about his achievements, he replied that tactics and formations are important indeed, however the main thing is for the players to believe in their coach. He also added that his players used to deliver more than expected from them. Do you believe that?
“Of course, I do; this is the key. Everything is important in football, but the crucial thing is to stand united as a team”.
For a great club like Olympiacos, would it be a failure not to qualify at this very point?
“We are currently working with one sole concern, which is how to qualify. There is nothing else for us but to make it to the next round”.
Luka Milivojevic:
What are the qualities that Olympiacos must display in the return match tomorrow in order to get the result they desire and qualify?
“We had one week to prepare this match. This is not the place to explain what we must do. It’s in the locker rooms where we discuss what we must do. We are determined to win, to give everything we got and to do everything necessary to fulfill our goals”.
Does your arrival here two days earlier may have to do with local high temperatures? How have you experienced your spending one day here?
“It has to do with how serious an approach we have for this match. The weather is almost the same with Greece; humidity might be a bit higher. The weather remains the same for both squads. We are not here to talk about the weather, but to attain our objectives“.
From Hapoel’s side, they do not stop saying that Olympiacos is the favorite. Is this a trap in order to put Olympiacos under more stress?
“It is true; we are the favorite. We are a better team and we have better players, but this is something we must prove on the pitch. In football, it is not the best that always win. We accept being the favorite. Yet we have to prove our worth on the pitch”.
How aggravating is the fact that your President was upset after first leg’s 0-0, as we read in Greek Press?
“There is always pressure on Olympiacos players. This is not the first time. This is my third year in Olympiacos. Pressure is there when playing at home or away. There is pressure everywhere, even during training. So, there is indeed pressure for tomorrow’s match, but we accustomed to handle and contain it during the return match”.
