Lucescu wants full concentration, Nikolic expecting tough match
With matchday three of the 2018/2019 UEFA Europa League group stage looming, PAOK manager Razvan Lucescu isn’t getting ahead of himself, while Vidi coach Marko Nikolic understands the task awaiting the Hungarians.
After dropping down from the UEFA Champions League, PAOK have endured mixed fortunes in Group L of the UEFA Europa League, losing to Chelsea in Thessaloniki (0:1) and confidently defeating BATE Borisov on the road (4:1). On Thursday, the Dikefalos tou Vorra welcome Hungarian outfit Vidi to the Toumba Stadium, a club which met AEK Athens in the Champions League playoffs in August.
Razvan Lucescu expects Vidi to play a defensive game, but he knows that his players will have to play well in order to win:
Psychological factor of being on a long winning streak: “Every game has its own difficulties. At the moment, we’re going through a good period with strong confidence, but this doesn’t automatically mean that we’ll win tomorrow. In order to achieve the victory, we must work hard, play with fast reactions and understand the opponents well. Each player must be fully concentrated. We have to win.”
Expectations for Vidi’s tactics in Thessaloniki: “In some matches, Vidi have shown their weaknesses, but they were very compact and organised when playing Chelsea. They ran a lot, closed Chelsea’s space and this means we won’t have an easy game. It will be a tough match for us and Vidi probably already have a strategy to play us.”
Squad rotation alongside Super League and Greek Cup commitments: “All players are important, not just the 11 on the field. The coaches’ main target is to pick the guys who are best prepared mentally. At the same time, you can’t lose the balance and the mentality which we have. Every player in this team is here to win. Will Vidi attack? I don’t think so, we like to dominate matches. Maybe they will try to press high, but overall, Vidi like to defend and counterattack.”
Possibility of already focusing on Panathinaikos match: “Tomorrow, we have a very important Europa League match, before another important Super League game on Monday. The next four fixtures are key. We have to take each match as it comes.”
Vidi boss Marko Nikolic, who used to manage Partizan Belgrade, thinks PAOK are stronger than AEK and singled out the opponents’ individual quality:
Thoughts on PAOK’s potential compared to AEK: “PAOK are about 30-40% stronger than AEK. They will be a very difficult opponent to play against and these two matches are decisive in the group.”
Being familiar with PAOK considering the club’s relationship with Partizan Belgrade: “Everyone knows the relationship PAOK and Partizan have. Two or three years ago, we played a friendly here, and a PAOK fan asked me to give him a Partizan jersey.”
PAOK’s most dangerous players: “PAOK have enough quality as a team. Aleksandar Prijovic is a fantastic player alongside Diego Biseswar and Dimitris Pelkas. Tomorrow, the best team will win on the pitch. We’re starting to gain experience at this level.”
