Oenning: “All of our players are eager to compete against AEK”
The two respective head coaches, Michael Oenning and Massimo Carrera, shared their expectations for the Super League battle between Aris and AEK in Thessaloniki.
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At the moment, AEK hold a confident 11-point advantage over Aris in third place of the Super League table, but no one enjoys playing at the atmospheric, compact Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium. Midweek, Aris gained more confidence by defeating Atromitos in the quarter-finals of the Greek Cup, while AEK are continuing to vastly improve under the leadership of Italian manager, Massimo Carrera. AEK have only lost the one game since Carrera arrived.
Aris head coach, Michael Oenning, noted the difficulty of recovering after the Greek Cup game with Atromitos:
Thoughts after the Greek Cup victory: “All players want to compete in big games. There was no margin for error, but we understood the situation, subsequently managing the match well. Our early away goal simplified our task. Nevertheless, we haven’t had a lot of time to recover, whereas AEK didn’t play during the week. In theory, we have a disadvantage. We have to respond to this complicality.”
Possible changes to the line-up: “We do have the opportunity to rotate the squad. However, we certainly won’t change eight or nine players, I know that all of the guys want to play in this game against AEK.”
Expectations for facing AEK at home: “I’m expecting a good match, and we’ll have to fight hard in order to achieve a positive result. A full stadium on Sunday will help us to win.”
Situation concerning Brown Ideye: “We won’t use him if there is a risk to his health. He is a player with a very high level of professionalism, and he’s shown a great desire to help the team on the field. I will calculate the risk of him playing.”
AEK boss, Massimo Carrera, is expecting a tough test in Thessaloniki:
The Greek Cup game between Atromitos and Aris: “I don’t want to make any comments about that match, although I did watch it. I have ideas of how to play against Aris. Today and tomorrow, we will work on schemes which will make Aris’ life difficult.”
His first two months at AEK: “I’m continuing to do my job. Every day, I give my players and staff the right conditions in which to work productively. I am using my emotions and knowledge of football.”
If he expected such a solid start with the club: “What I meant to say, is that it’s hard to join a team midway through a season. As a result of this, I didn’t expect to immediately play very well and achieve a lot of positive results. There were a lot of problems here when I arrived. My philosophy is to work hard and take AEK higher up the table.”
Difficulty of opponents dealing with Sergio Araujo: “He is an unpredictable player, so it’s tough to understand how he will play. Sergio can score from any position on the pitch, an aspect which makes it difficult for the opposing defenders.”
Importance of beating Panathinaikos: “Of course, that was a great result, but it will mean nothing if we don’t beat Aris this week. In Thessaloniki, it’s very hard to play against Aris, their supporters will help them. We have to give 100%. The small details will decide the outcome.”
