Martins: “The referee situation did not affect our preparations”
Ahead of the Super League derby between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos on Sunday, both Pedro Martins and Giorgos Donis shared their expectations for the duel.
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Unfortunately, the spectacle of this historic match-up has somewhat been ruined by the fact that the Karaiskakis Stadium will be empty, but it doesn’t detract from the importance of the game. If they manage to finally defeat their arch-rivals at home again, Olympiacos will move into first place of the Super League table, while Panathinaikos required a victory to keep up with fourth-placed Aris.
Olympiacos boss Pedro Martins touched upon the situation concerning Greek referees in his pre-match briefing:
Goals for 2020: “The main goal for the majority of Olympiacos fans in 2020 is to win the championship. We want to achieve this.”
The factor of 2020 beginning with a derby: “We want to see a great match, without all of the other things which are currently involved with Greek football. We want a great, transparent game, a referee who is impartial and football worthy of a derby. Unfortunately, we will play without our supporters inside the stadium, this is another sad situation. Without our fans, it won’t be the same occasion, but we want a fantastic game of football.”
If Olympiacos’ preparation was affected by the referee situation: “No, we continued training as normal, we did not change our preparation process.”
Positive moments from 2019: “There were lots of good moments, it’s hard to point all of them out. The last 10 minutes against Krasnodar, the home match with Bayern Munich, the memorable moments from the European games.”
Transfer plans: “I am very happy with the players which we have at the moment. All of them have the same value to me.”
Situation concerning Mathieu Valbuena, Daniel Podence and Lazaros Christodoulopoulos: “Both Mathieu and Daniel are ready to play. Lazaros? Yes, physically he is fine, but he is lacking match practice. He will receive a chance in this game and in the Greek Cup.”
Referee controversy after the match against Volos NFC: “Vitor Melo Pereira, the head of refereeing in Greece, has to take responsibility for what is happening. He is saying that it is all down to the clubs, but this is not true. We have to play by the rules but, at the same time, we demand transparency from the refereeing department and the video assistant referee decisions.”
Giorgos Donis set out his goals for Panathinaikos in 2020, while also noting the quality which Olympiacos possess:
Goals for 2020 and the second half of the current campaign: “It is very important for our team to be competitive in every game. Life changes, and at the moment, it would be great for us to win the Greek Cup in front of our supporters. We want to qualify for the final of that competition.”
Factor of Olympiacos hosting the game inside an empty Karaiskakis Stadium: “We are used to adapting to these conditions. When playing against a team like Olympiacos, you can’t just think about defending, the match will be judged on the individual battles, how well we play with the ball at our feet and our strength. This is a game against a high-quality team, one of the best in the league. Olympiacos are excellent both in defence and attack.”
Preparation of Panathinaikos for this match: “Derbies like this one require full concentration and maximum amount of preparation. My job is to make sure that the players play with organisation on the pitch, with each of them understanding their role.”
Rumours concerning Pedro Conde: “I don’t want to mention names. When we were interested in him, he had a contract of 800,000 euros. There are a lot of factors which have to be taken into account. There is no rush with transfers.”
