Olympiacos hosts Apollon Limassol on Thursday (25/8, 22.00, Cosmote TV, official TV partner of the “red-and-white” FC) in G. Karaiskakis for the UEFA Europa League playoffs.
In the prematch press conferences, players were represented by Inbeom Hwang; along with him, team coach Carlos Corberan shared his insights
quotes by Inbeom Hwang…
Do you feel better given the mild discomfort you had? What should Olympiacos do to win and qualify?
I feel much better and I am 100% fit to give all I got on the pitch during the match.
Have you “bonded” with your teammates even more following your display in the first leg?
We are not at 100% yet, but certainly far better than before. I got to know them better, along with the staff, the coaches and their style. I become even more acclimatized after each match.
Do all players feel better following this prolonged heatwave and do you think that the change of weather conditions will help you?
Truth is weather conditions are better; it was quite hot in the past days. however, I am accustomed to that since Korea registers high temperatures. No matter the weather, we will have to be ready for the match.
We are also getting to know you. Can you tell us more about your preferred position on the pitch.
I am the kind of footballer whole likes playing forward. We have to challenge ourselves if we want to be successful. So, the word that better describes me is challenge. That’s how I see life and football alike. My preferred position is being an “8”. I feel more comfortable like that, bit I can also play as a «6», and as a «10» as I did in the previous match against Apollon Limassol. I can also be a winger and a striker. I am ready to help the team wherever needed.
This will be your first match before the fans. Are you looking forward to playing in a packed stadium and how different will this match be compared to the previous one?
I am thrilled to perform before our supporters and I am looking forward to this match. I don’t know if the match will be different or not, but I know we will have more energy provided by them, which was evident also in the first match with our away fans. I will give my all so we can celebrate after the end. We will do everything in our powers to win; to win is all we think about and what we have to say : come and support us.
Quotes by our coach Carlos Corberan in detail:
Are we to see more changes to the previous match and are there any last minute issues?
There will be some changes, and some players will remain in the lineup. What matters is to feature 11 players on the pitch ready to meet the mental and athletic requirements. I believe this won’t be hard to achieve and this is important.
Do you think the team has started putting on the kind of attitude you want?
My impression is that the team has taken steps forward to get to the level we want. We are not yet at 100%, but I think that the steps taken are significant and to the right direction.
What are the expected differences compared to the match in Cyprus? Do you expect to face an opponent waiting for you low and ready to counter attack? Any message to the fans on your belief to the qualification?
There will be no major differences. Both teams like having ball possession and ruling proceedings. The point is who is able to do that and who is not. Both teams aim at the same thing. Our intention is to play aggressively to win the match by scoring goals and by not allowing them to present any threat to us.
