Words by Pedro Martins:
When Olympiacos plays their qualifying match and you sit on the bench, then the team grabs the win as it was the case against Milan and Red Star. You had been quite confident before those matches; does this apply today as well?
“I was confident because my belief was very strong, eve against Arsenal. I can say the same thing now. As long as we commit fewer individual mistakes and get some effective in attack. Should these things happen, then I am certain we will qualify to the Europa League».
Because of certain changes in Porto’s line-up, does Olympiacos have an edge?
“We have no edge; we know Porto’s roster very well and it features nothing but quality players. The fact that we don’t know their starting eleven is a drawback for us to get better prepared. Given that we are not at our best just like Porto makes our match preparation more difficult. “I am confident that we will give our all to qualify in the UEFA Europa League!”
Matches are scheduled one after the other, which adds a burden in this already tough period. How difficult is it to manage half the round’s matchdays within 15 days?
“It is very difficult. Due to the covid, we have lost many players; as far our group is concerned, we were hot more than others. We cannot predict or know how long they will be sidelined. We still have two players we do not know when they will fully recover from the virus. this year was really tough for us handling all these players sidelined. Matches were so close one after the other resulting in many players of ours being unavailable to play”.
Given the first match, what do you think that Olympiacos should do to win?
“It all depends on the quality of our game. In the first leg, we should have avoided that mistake that led to their first goal, which then helped Porto to control the match with ease. We have to commit fewer individual mistakes, be more effective in attack and control the game ourselves”.
Did your first match largely determine the club’s course in this group?
“Olympiacos did not play well at that time, but I don’t think it was the match that determined everything. We knew that Manchester City was the group’s top-quality team and, reasonably enough. they would end top of the table. We knew it would be difficult to beat City, but we didn’t expect a defeat against Marseille. Porto are rightly holders of second position, since they were the most effective club. Matches between us, Porto and Marseille were balanced and the struggle for second position was tough.
Normally, the player next to you in these pre-match pressers is in the starting line-up. Will this be the case with Pepe? Have you made up your mind about the 11 players to start?
“There has been a case when the thing you said didn’t happen! So, we shall first complete our training and then take our decisions”.
Words by Pepe:
Is it an incentive for you that you are to face a Portuguese outfit and what are to expect from you should you get selected to play?
“Representing Olympiacos is always an incentive. I am really motivated to play; I try to improve myself match after match. The squad is hungry to continue playing in Europe”.
You used to play in Portugal until last summer. What should Olympiacos do tomorrow against Porto?
“Porto is a great club, they have many good footballers. The encounter will be tough and we need to display quality in order to get the result. They have fast players playing forward and we have to play with quality so we control the game”.
Are you happy with your spell in Olympiacos so far? What would you like to give to Olympiacos?
“First few months are fantastic; they have all welcomed me in the best possible way and helped me adapt. I haven’t shown my potential yet; I am sure I will do so shortly and give joy to our fans”.
Given the team’s display so far, do current group standings tell the truth about Olympiacos?
“I believe we could have qualified in the next round. Sadly, we failed to. However, this is no time to discuss the past, we are here to fight for their place and this is what we shall do”.
Do you believe that Porto will be aloof with this match?
“No, we know both Porto and their coach very well. They will do anything to earn a positive result and we have to play well to win”.
