Skibbe, Papastathopoulos believe in achieving positive result in Estonia
Ahead of the opening UEFA Nations League match against Estonia, Ethniki Omada head coach Michael Skibbe doesn’t consider Greece the favourites of Group 2 in League C, while Sokratis Papastathopoulos is focused on starting the campaign well.
Following the disappointment of missing out on the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Greece return to competitive action on Saturday in Tallinn, taking on hosts Estonia in the maiden UEFA Nations League match in Group 2 of League C. In his press-conference, Greek head coach Michael Skibbe stated that he doesn’t underestimate Estonia and is pleased to have influential midfielder Petros Mantalos back in the team:
Greece’s experience of playing Estonia: “It will be a very interesting match. The way that the Nations League has been organised, all teams which are equal in terms of ability have the chance to play against each other. We want to perform at our best. Previous games against Estonia in the World Cup qualifying campaign? In Tallinn, we managed to score an early goal, but we couldn’t do the same at home. These teams are equal but we have the capability to win this match.”
Problems in defence: “Yes, Bundesliga defenders Panagiotis Retsos and Kyriakos Papadopoulos are currently injured, but we still have a strong back line and in attack we are improving. Anastasios Donis and Konstantinos Mitroglou, who is coming off the back of a difficult season, are both in good shape. Petros Mantalos has been a core player for Greece in the past 1.5 years and he’s also back.”
Whether Greece are favourites of Group 2 in League C: “All teams are equal in terms of their level. We’re not favourites, however we have a competitive team and we want to win the group and move up to the next league.
Readiness of Carlos Zeca and Michalis Bakakis: “We will make a decision on Carlos after today’s training. Michalis Bakakis? He will miss this match but we expect him to be ready to play Hungary.”
Commanding centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos noted his intentions to win every match and shared his opinions on how to beat Estonia’s reliable defence:
Expectations for the match in Tallinn: “In the last few days, we have been training really well. This is the start of the journey. It won’t be easy, but we want to win every match and if we can’t achieve that, we must not lose.”
Situation within the team: “These first two games will be difficult, because we’ve only just returned from pre-season training in the summer. Nevertheless, we’re in good shape, and we need to take advantage of our opportunities in order to emerge victorious.”
How to beat the Estonian defence: “In comparison to the last qualification campaign, we have to be stronger attacking wise. I feel that we have the skills and quality to achieve something good in this game.”
Aspects which prevented Greece from qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup: “Our offensive skills require improvement. Traditionally, the Ethniki Omada defends better than it attacks. Together, with some new players, we must take the step to the next level. That’s our goal.”
Feelings about the Nations League: “We don’t see this tournament as simply preparation games, this is still an official competition so all of our players should give 100% on the pitch.”
