Nikolic notes challenge of playing AEK, Ouzounidis not underestimating opponents

Vidi are aiming to shock Europe again in the UEFA Champions League playoff round, while AEK Athens aren’t underestimating the Hungarians.

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So far in this season’s Champions League, Vidi have been one of the surprise packages, dismissing Dudelange in the second qualifying round before claiming the scalps of Ludogorets and Malmo to make the playoffs. Reigning Greek champions AEK joined in the third qualification phase, defeating Celtic 3:2 in dramatic circumstances to edge closer to a return to the coveted group stages.

In his pre-match press-conference, Vidi head coach Marko Nikolic noted the difficulty of playing AEK and stated that he doesn’t feel any pressure:

AEK’s strength: “AEK are a serious club and Greeks are always fanatical about football. The opponents have their own style of game and it won’t be fun playing against them. Nevertheless, we are competitive and it will be interesting to see who manages to prevail.”

Pressure on Vidi in these matches: “We don’t have any pressure. For us, it’s already a great achievement to reach this stage of the competition and we’re relaxed, but that doesn’t mean to say that we don’t care about the result. We are proud of what we’ve done but we want more. It’s a huge moment for Hungarian football.”

Factor of playing at a different stadium in Budapest: “During the past two and a half years, we’ve been playing away from our home arena. I would be the happiest man alive if we could play at our own stadium, but I don’t want to search for any possible excuses.”

AEK manager Marinos Ouzounidis is well aware that Vidi will give his team a real run for their money in Budapest and warned the players to be careful in defence:

Expectations for tomorrow’s match: “It can be said that AEK are the favourites, but that probably works in Vidi’s favour. We expect that it will be a tough match and we need to be ready for a testing game.”
 
Danger which Vidi pose: “We have seen their previous matches and they play a tight, defensive style of game with excellent counterattacks. Tomorrow, we must find a way to break down their back line and be careful in defence when they break.”

Aim for the game in Budapest: “Will we be happy with a draw in the first leg? Our aim is to play our game and qualify for the Champions League group stages.”

Psychological preparation for Vidi: “After we defeated Celtic in the third qualifying round, I was really proud of the victory but I knew that we had a huge challenge coming up against Vidi. In football, old results aren’t important, you have to live in the here and now. These matches are of great importance and we should give everything.”
 

By Shaun Nicolaides

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