Martins: “We will have to work hard against Aris”

Both of the respective head coaches, Pedro Martins and Michael Oenning, shared their expectations for the Super League duel between Olympiacos and Aris.

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On Sunday evening, Olympiacos will look to continue leading the Super League standings ahead of nearest challengers PAOK, as fifth-placed Aris visit the Karaiskakis Stadium. Naturally, Olympiacos are favourites to win in Piraeus, but Aris proved that they are capable of an upset when ending PAOK’s famous unbeaten run at the start of the year. Olympiacos defeated Aris 2-1 in Thessaloniki earlier in the season.

Pedro Martins noted Aris’ solid form:

Expectations for the match against Aris: “They have three wins and two draws in their last five games. Aris have quality in attack, they play well in transition and enjoy competing in derbies. We have to work hard in order to win, playing with intensity.”

The return of injured players: “We will have the best possible starting 11 on the pitch. Certainly, the return of Lazaros Christodoulopoulos and Kostas Fortounis has helped us.”

Possible departure of Konstantinos Tsimikas: “The management of the club deals with those issues. My job is to coach the players in our team and keep them focused. I form the starting line-up based on the players available. I would like the transfer period to end as soon as possible.”

Performance of Maxi Lovera against Kalamata: “I don’t want to talk about players individually. Players who did well in the game against Kalamata will receive further chances with the first team. Some took advantage of their opportunity, whereas others didn’t. Those who work hard will receive a chance.”

Michael Oenning is confident of gaining a positive result in Piraeus:

Injury situation: “Julian Cuesta has felt pain while training, but I am hopeful that he will be able to play on Sunday. Why didn’t Bruno Gama play against Xanthi? It was my decision because I took into account the busy schedule. We want to keep the players fresh. Moreover, the game with Xanthi was a good opportunity to give different players a chance.”

Plan for playing against Olympiacos on the road: “We understand the level of this opponent. Nevertheless, we want to perform well against Olympiacos and achieve a positive result. It’s a challenge for us, because we haven’t won in Piraeus for many years. I like playing against strong teams.”

Transfer ban: “This is an issue which causes us problems. It happened unexpectedly, but I have to accept this and work with the players at my disposal? Fjorin Durmishaj? More than anything else, I am disappointed for him.”

Productive play of Daniel Larsson and Brown Ideye: “I always felt that those two understand each other in attack. They support each other well on the pitch, and I think that they have a good mutual understanding.”

Reaction of Lindsay Rose to being substituted against Xanthi: “It was an interesting moment. Lindsay wants to play for this team, and that is something which I like. We only substituted him so that he could rest.”
Performances of Daniel Mancini: “In some games, he has performed well, but that hasn’t always been the case. He is a young player who requires time to become more involved. He is with us because he wants to help the team.”

By: Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: sport-fm.gr

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