Toppmoller aware of Olympiacos strength, Martins eager for positive reaction
Toppmoller aware of Olympiacos strength, Martins eager for positive reaction
Ahead of the UEFA Europa League Group F match, Dudelange head coach Dino Toppmoller respects Olympiacos’ strength, but Pedro Martins isn’t taking anything for granted.
Having emerged through the qualifying rounds, Olympiacos have struggled in Group F of the UEFA Europa League, drawing 0:0 at home to Real Betis in Piraeus and dropping a disappointing 1:3 defeat to Italian giants AC Milan at the San Siro. Dudelange became the first team from Luxembourg to qualify for the group stages of a senior European competition, but they’ve been difficult to break down so far, only losing 0:1 against Milan and 0:3 to Betis in Spain.
In the press-conference, Dudelange’s 37-year old boss Dino Toppmoller shared his thoughts on the upcoming duel:
Expectations on Olympiacos’ tactics for this match: “Lately, Olympiacos haven’t been on the best form, so I expect them to make some changes to their line-up. They like to play with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Konstantinos Fortounis, their leading player, was missing against OFI and I think that he’ll play tomorrow. We’ll have to be at our best physically and give 100% on the pitch.”
Whether a draw would be classed as a good result for Dudelange: “It will be a very difficult match, because we know the expectations which are placed on Olympiacos’ shoulders. Generally, Olympiacos always perform well in Europe, but we want to perform well. We expect Olympiacos to be very strong.”
Gradual improvement of Dudelange over the past year: “We’ve analysed our recent matches in the UEFA Europa League and domestic championship. It’s difficult to compare our team this season compared to the previous campaign. We made a lot of transfers in the summer.”
Possibility of changing goalkeepers to play Olympiacos: “We have two goalkeepers ready to play. I will make a final decision before the match begins.”
Olympiacos manager Pedro Martins isn’t underestimating Dudelange and wants the players to show a reaction after losing to OFI in the domestic championship:
Reaction following the Super League loss to OFI: “We want to show that we’re determined to turn the situation around and understand the club which we represent. We always want to win and don’t think about matches which have already finished.”
Situation surrounding his team: “Since the start of the season, the team has been working really hard, we have excellent players which are committed to winning titles. I’m proud of this team, it’s the best I’ve had in my career. However, we have plenty of new players. I am not trying to search for excuses, but we are working hard to play beautiful football.”
Thoughts on Dudelange: “Maybe AC Milan and Real Betis are our strongest opponents in this group, but Dudelange have proven that they’re dangerous. We can’t underestimate anyone.”
by Shaun Nicolaides
Image Source: sport-fm.gr
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