Paulo Bento
-How do you feel after your first weeks in Athens and how does the team respond to his demands during this period? “I believe we are in a pretty good shape. We set out in the championship with a splendid opening display. In both matches against Arouca, in particular the first one, we showed a very good face and this brought us to this point. However, we still have lots of work to do in order to become better and get the squad on the right track”.
-How much different will Olympiacos be compared to last Sunday’s match against Veria? Certainly, this will be a different match since it’s another opponent and another tournament. Our strategy will be the same since we know that they are a strong opponent that gives a hard time to all clubs they play against. However, we have our share of chances to make a good display and leave the pitch with a positive result, namely to win which is our goal”.
-Is it your final decision to have Kapino playing in the championship and Leali in the UEFA Europa League? We still have time to make up our minds on that; it’s something we just started doing. We don’t know whether it will go on all the time or even tomorrow. It’s something that we won’t certainly announce during a Press Conference. Players will find out first from the coach himself and then you”.
-All clubs to play against Olympiacos see you as the group’s favorite. Is this something good for you and your players? I do not know if indeed they see us as the group favorite. We do have both the skills, quality and ambition to go forward and make it to the next round. In order for this to happen, we will have to be focused on our matches. I don’t believe that our performance may be affected by the fact that someone sees us as the favorite. We will keep on working and studying all our opponents. They all deserve our respect and they will all try to catch us by surprise. We don’t want that to happen; on the contrary, we are the one who want to pull this off “.
Luka Milivojevic
-What it means to you to wear the team captain’s armband? It is not my first time to be Olympiacos captain. It is a great responsibility, yet nothing will change during the game. I will be doing the same work, and also have more responsibilities. I feel really proud of being Olympiacos captain if you come to think of the players who have worn this armband in the past».
-How much has Olympiacos changed since the side’s first European match and up to the game against Veria? “I am sure you can spot the differences. We are much improved in terms of fitness and the quality of our performance on the pitch as shown against Veria. There is still room for improvement and we hope to continue like that”.
-How high is the bar placed with respect to your campaign in the UEFA Europa League? “The team has placed the bar really high, we have big aspirations, and this will not be easy. Our first goal is to qualify past the group stage starting from tomorrow’s match here. It will not be easy given the artificial turf used on the pitch. It will take a great effort. In theory it may seem easy, but things on the pitch are different. We must first qualify from the group and work hard for that. If we get that right, then anything can happen but it will take a huge effort from our side. We have the quality and the strength to deliver. I really believe in that and now we will see what will happen on the pitch”.
-What is the difference between plastic and artificial turf? I’ve played quite a few times on plastic turf, but only once for an official fixture. It is very difficult, it is different. We will check the pitch during training whether it needs watering and the ball rolls. Both away matches to be played in our group will be hosted on artificial turf, but we will see what will happen here”.
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To see photographs from the Press conference, click HERE.
