Takis Lemonis
-What’s different to MD1 fixture?: “Actually, this was the first match and I thought we lost ground. Tomorrow, it will be another match. We want to have a different approach, not that different to the one we had in previous matches. What will be needed is to be effective”.
-What are Sporting’s strengths?: “After watching the first match, rest of group fixtures and matches in the Portuguese league, one can say they have a top level team that can perform both with ball possession and in counter-attack in a great way. This was something that helped them give a hard time to both Juventus and Barcelona. So, we are dealing with a very strong side and an excellent coach”.
-What does Sporting have that other two teams do not: “Clearly, they are both better teams than Sporting, but distance between them is not that big”.
-On Sporting’s style of play with counter-attacks: “Apparently, this is one of their strong points and we are properly prepared to deal with it. We have discussed a lot with the players about the things to do tomorrow. Every team scouts their opponents and checks their strengths and weaknesses. Our philosophy won’t by that different to the one in our previous fixtures”.
-On the fact that Olympiacos starts getting better and if timing for tomorrow’s match is good: “I will know about that after the match. We started feeling better with the way we work in training and the things we add to our style of play. We hope to be able and display them as much as possible”.
-Whether a pseudo-striker will feature tomorrow: “I understand that winning is imperative; having said that, I should have opted for four or five strikers, but this is not right. What we will go for is to produce more things than in our fixture against Barcelona in Camp Nou, because both in Turin against Juventus and in Karaiskakis against Barcelona, we have done some good things”.
-On those fans of Olympiacos who will attend tomorrow’s match and the importance of the supporters’ belief in the team: “To win people’s trust is a very important element and it’s something I focused upon a lot once I joined Olympiacos. This very team has to show what they are capable of. We feature in the domestic league and the UEFA Champions League, so this confidence has to reflect on our fans and ourselves”.
-On the fact that it’s 10 years since the club started with away wins in European campaigns and whether he believes in signs: “When it comes to signs, it’s tricky. Anyone involved with football may get superstitious. It’s not a matter of signs, but hard work. What I said before, I didn’t mean to show that we have a tough job tomorrow. I said so because I believe that they are a great team, and we watch their last year’s fixtures against Real Madrid, we can easily see that we are to play against a top level side”.
Panagiotis Tachtsidis:
-On the elements Olympiacos should display tomorrow in order to win: “As we all know, this is going to be a difficult match, we are prepared for that and we are working so as to give everything we got on the pitch. We know only one result is good enough for us. What it takes is passion and desire, and this is what our coach has prepared us for. We came here to give 100%».
-On the impression that Sporting is the favorite and whether, to their eyes, Olympiacos is the underdog: “Supposedly, we were the underdog against Barcelona as well. In football, nobody knows what will happen and it doesn’t matter who’s the underdog and who’s not. We came here to play a match and we will give everything we got”.
-On what will be the determining factor of tomorrow’s match: “Certainly, I believe we should excel in terms of strength and passion, and we have to win all individual duels”.
-Whether it is important in such matches to take the lead: “In football, no matter who takes the lead, the match will last 90 minutes. If the lead was important or not will show in the end. One must stay focused”.
-Whether the result against Barcelona gave the impression that they can deliver regardless of the opponent: “That’s exactly how it is. Things have changed in football. If one gives everything and puts up a fight, then any opponent may be stopped”.
-If they came here to play a European contest final: “We came here to play a match which we consider a final and we will give everything to win.”
