Martins: “We have worked hard to be here”

The two respective head coaches, Pedro Martins and Nuno Espírito Santo, shared their expectations for the second leg of the UEFA Europa League Last 16 battle between Olympiacos and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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The moment of truth has arrived for Olympiacos. Enjoying one of their best seasons in memory, the Erythrolefki are just 90 minutes away from the quarter-finals of the Europa League, but they do need to score in England and keep Wolves off the board after the first leg ended 1-1 in Piraeus in March. Unfortunately for the Greek champions, goalkeeper Jose Sa is out with a serious injury, and Ruben Semedo is suspended following his red card in the first match.

Pedro Martins emphasised Olympiacos’ huge desire to beat Wolves and qualify for the quarter-finals:

Motivation ahead of the match: “Our team has great motivation for tomorrow. We’re well prepared and I am happy with what I have seen over the past week. All of the players understand the importance of this game in the club’s history but also for themselves and their careers. We are ready, we’ve worked hard just to get here and we want to go further.”

Differences in comparison to the first game: “I don’t think we will see a lot of differences. Wolves have consistently played in the same manner over the course of the last three years, we understand how they play and I don’t think there will be any major surprises. The same goes for their coach and his knowledge of Olympiacos. However, each team will, of course, have its own strategy. We have a plan tomorrow which we want to implement so that we can win.”

Length of the 2019/2020 season: “I don’t want to complain. Instead, I want to find solutions to the problems. This pandemic has created many issues for several industries, not only football. Yes, there is fatigue from all of this, but I see the will, motivation and desire which my players have. They want to achieve more success. It was a lot worse when we were stuck at home, not allowed to do what we love doing. Now at least we’re here and we can play football again, albeit with some restrictions.”

Bobby Allain’s first European match: “Bobby is a great athlete and professional who understands the process well. Together with Konstantinos Tzolakis, he forced Jose Sa to work hard. He is ready and we expect him to cope with the difficulties of this game.”

Wolves’ strong continental home form: “Everyone knows about the season which Wolves have enjoyed, they have achieved wonderful results at home in the Europa League. They are a dangerous team with plenty of quality. Nevertheless, we are Olympiacos, and they saw that we’re a good team when we played at the Karaiskakis Stadium in March. We’re looking forward to an exciting match.”

Olympiacos’ achievements in Europe this season: “As I have said many times, Olympiacos has made big progress in European competitions, reinstating the club’s reputation on the continent. Olympiacos are considered a great club. We’ve achieved excellent results against top opposition, making our fans proud in the process.”

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo spoke about the talent which Olympiacos possess, mentioning his friendship with Pedro Martins: 

Approach on Thursday: “It’s a new match. We know anything can happen. It doesn’t mean anything what happened in the first game, it’ll be a mistake to rely on that, so let’s compete well and try to perform. We’ve looked at them, the quality and talent they have, and their manager. We have analysed and we know that what is in front of us is a tough opponent. Let’s try to be compact, solid and I think the players are ready to go. The only thing missing is going to be the fans tomorrow, but we have to deal with the situation and overcome it.”

Insight provided by former Olympiacos player Daniel Podence: “It’s always useful, all the details, all the info you can gather and pass to the players. Among them also, they speak and share opinions. Daniel is a big source of information, so we have to take all we can from him.”

Expectations for the match: “I’m expecting a tough game because they’re a good team. We felt difficulties in Piraeus, and we’ve been looking at them. We know they’re a strong side. It’s not important what happened in the past, we have to focus on this game, the new situations which will arise. We are going to play against a difficult opponent, but we’re looking forward to it and are ready to go.”

Friendship with Pedro Martins: “I know him very well because we played together. We were teammates and he’s a very good friend of mine. Let’s play the game. For sure, both of us want our teams to perform well and in the end, we’ll see, but the friendship will be there.”

Learning process in the Europa League: “While playing in this tournament, we have learned to perform well both in the Europa League and the Premier League. It has brought us a lot of knowledge. It’s been a huge challenge for the club as a whole which can only make us better.”

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