Pedro Martins:
After losing a championship match, is it the best remedy to get a positive result in the next one:“Indeed, it is important we have such a great match ahead. Since June, when we started building this team, our aim was to reach this point and beyond. So, we have now the opportunity to focus on tomorrow’s fixture and forget what happened last matchday. For us, it has been, as you saw, a difficult-to-handle match; what we have to do is to have our mind on tomorrow’s encounter. This is one of our gaols and we want to do the best we can. What is positive for us is that we will be playing at Karaiskakis with our fans on our side, and we want to use this opportunity and fix what we did wrong in the previous matchday; we will do everything possible to play well, get the result we want and move forward. So, it is really important to forget what happened because we have another goal right ahead and we want to attain it”.
How important is tomorrow’s match for qualifying: “In no case is tomorrow’s match a determining one. As we all know, this is a two-leg tie at this very stage of European tournaments. So, should we win, this does not mean we have secured the qualification. We will play two legs against a really strong side with quality, young players, and internationals. They are all very good players. It’s going to be a tough match, we will do the best to earn a positive result tomorrow, so we get the upper hand; however, nothing is won or lost after one match”.
On Fortounis and Omar: “Omar will not play; Fortounis will be normally capped tomorrow. With regard to his recovery, he did fine, he is back, he trained today and he will be almost ready to play tomorrow”.
How difficult is it to analyze the game play of a side that had not official fixtures and what do you know about Dinamo: “We do have an idea of our opponents. They might have not played an official match in past days, but we have watched many of theirs. We know that in last 20 days, they have played 7 matches and we have an idea of how they will play tomorrow. It’s not the first match of the season; it’s their first match after domestic break of fixtures. It’s the same coach and players. Apart from 2 players added, the rest of the squad remains the same. We know their philosophy very well and it’s similar to ours. It’s a team of quality and good players. We are aware of their mentality, we know how they display in matches and, in reality, nothing has changed on what to expect from them. We have studied them really well, we are fully aware of their playing style and, therefore, it was not difficult for us to do our homework on them. Their league might have had a break, but this has no impact, I think, on a side’s identity and mindset on the pitch”.
What kind of reaction do you expect from your players following last Sunday’s match: “Certainly, we expect them to react and, as said before, I think that our side will stand up to the expectations and give all answers required at this very moment. It has been our goal and we always wanted to get to this point and proceed even farther, as stressed. So, I believe that this team is really committed to its foals; I think it will give everything to move on and overcome what has happened and give the right answer. We know it’s our duty, we are the only Greek club still in a European campaign and we know this is of great importance to our fans, namely for Olympiacos to proceed more. We have to be ready, we are committed to that and, besides that, this team’s players have proven that, in hard times, they reply back and stand still. So, tomorrow we have to do what we should in the best possible way and move forward. This is what we expect for tomorrow and we are confident it will happen».
On the couple of tough matches that follow and the fixture against AEK: “At this moment the only thing in our mind is tomorrow’s fixture. We think of nothing but that, we don’t consider at all what will happen in any next match of ours. We want to channel all our energy in tomorrow’s fixture. After the match ends tomorrow, we will start thinking of this important match that follows Sunday. However, for the time being, it’s not in our mind at all; we are absolutely focused. We prepare ourselves to play the best we can tomorrow evening. This is a quite important match for us».
Guilherme:
What elements should Olympiacos display on the pitch tomorrow evening to win: “It won’t be easy, this is for sure. Things will be tough tomorrow against this team. I think the fact they have had no official fixtures means nothing. On the contrary, I would say. If they did, this could have meant no surprise to us. However, now, surprised should not be ruled out. I think the match will be really balanced and difficult. We know that our opponents are really good and quality players, and I hope that we will outdo them and get the win”.
On the couple of tough matches that follow and the fixture against AEK: “Just like my coach said, we can think of no match except for tomorrow’s one. It is a very, very important match for us, the club, the players and the fans. We cannot afford not to be concentrated on that. It will be a really tough encounter. We don’t spare a moment for Sunday’s match because tomorrow’s match is so important for us and we must be absolutely focused on that”.
