Besnik Hasi:
-What it means to him to lead Olympiacos to the UEFA Champions League group stage: “It is very important to me, that’s why I came here. I want to help the team not only to make it into the group stage but also to build a good squad and carry on in the best possible way. I am saying so because we are already on the right track to achieve something good. If things go well tomorrow and we take a positive result, then we will be really close to our objective and this is what our fans want in Greece”.
-What must Olympiacos do tomorrow in order to secure their qualification: “We have to play a good match like we did in the first leg. As a team, this is the most important thing; to exploit all opportunities that will be given to use and get the qualification”“.
-Do you expect Rijeka to perform better tomorrow since they will be playing at home?: “Rijeka is a really difficult side to beat. As we have seen in their recent matches, they have a solidly organized team, their players are in great shape and they deliver in counter-attacking. It is a team that can give the opponent a really hard time. I don’t believe that Rijeka will open up or play full attack. However, I do believe that they will cause us many problems. Ourselves, we made a flawless first half in the first match, yet we lacked scoring goals. Nevertheless, they endured the pressure we put on them and managed to score an away goal, which is very important in this franchise. I think that, tomorrow, Rijeka will turn out very dangerous, they will put a lot of pressure on us in the opening 15-20; From our part, we will have to try and be sharp in the opportunities we get, in order to get the result we want against them”.
-How are you going to face Rijeka?: I am expecting a very defensive-minded match; both teams will focus a lot on their defense. We have to concede no goals. It will not be an easy task to score goals. I hope my players to deliver and for this to determine the final result of the match”.
Vadis Odjidja Ofoe:
-What will be different in tomorrow’s match in relation to the first leg in Karaiskakis?: “Our entire team is satisfied with our great performance in the first leg. We played great and turned the match around. Tomorrow, the match will be different because our opponent will try hard to claim more out of this match. However, we will have to be absolutely ready and play a really good match in order to get the qualification”.
-What qualities will Olympiacos have to bring forward to defend the first match’s 2-1 and qualify?: We will have to be absolutely ready for a tough match tomorrow. We will have to be ready to put on a fight and we are certain that, should we follow and apply our coach’s instructions, we will get a good result”.
-Are you troubled by Rijeka’s home ground?: “No, this is not something to trouble me. Definitely, it is going to be a different environment to our home ground, but it is certainly not something to frighten us, since, as it was the case also in the qualifying round before, we played in a hostile environment. We will try to focus on our own task, keep our heads in the game and get this qualification”.
-What is the plan Olympiacos will follow in case tomorrow Rijeka scores first?: «There is no such plan; besides, our mind is set to keep a clean sheet. If this is not the case and concede a goal first, it won’t be the end of the world. We will try to turn the match around, like we did in the first leg at home when the same thing happened».
-How do feel knowing that just a few years ago you were playing for Rotherham United and you are now just a step away from the UEFA Champions League group stage?: “That’s life! Sometimes, one doesn’t know where life will bring him and what paths one may follow. It was my coach’s desire and since the coach thought I should have had a spell there, I did so and loved the people there. However, I am now concentrated on the job I have to do and I am ready to give it all in order to qualify to the UEFA Champions League group stage”.
