Heraklion is already buzzing with excitement ahead of OFI’s big European matchup against CSKA Sofia on Thursday (August 20 – 9:00 p.m.), in the Europa League playoffs.
The Cretans’ return to European competition has sparked great enthusiasm among fans, a fact reflected in the significantly increased demand for tickets to the first match against the Bulgarians.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Ahead of this major match, Christos Kontis, who first wanted to make it clear that winning the Super Cup is already a thing of the past and then emphasized the enormous challenge of qualifying for the League Phase of the Europa League.
Among other things, the experienced Cretan coach discussed the state of the roster, the transfers, and the tactical aspects of the two matches.
On the difficulty of the match without any official games: “The first games are very difficult because we’re coming off preseason training. It’s very hard to find the right rhythm. We’re behind CSKA, since we’ve played one official game and they’ve played eleven. I believe we have a team that’s maturing and improving game by game. These two games are so important that we must—and will—be ready for the match.”
On the preparation required: “When we want to grow as a team, we have to learn to manage situations like this. We have to know that when a game ends—even if it’s emotionally charged—we have to leave it behind. We have a challenge ahead of us; it fills us with anticipation—we’ve been waiting for this for a long time. These are two matches for which I’ve seen the enthusiasm and hunger in my players during training. We want to reach even greater heights, and I believe we’ll play two very strong matches against CSKA.”
On whether there is pressure on the team: “What pressure could there be? We’ve already secured a spot in the Conference League. We’ve proven that we pursue and fight for every challenge that comes our way. If we advance to the Europa League, it will be a huge success. We’ll stick to our game plan, as always, and see how things turn out in the end. If we make it, it will be something amazing for the team.”
On his view of CSKA: “I want to say that CSKA has vast European experience, has played in big games, and has our respect. We need to recognize that they’re the favorites in terms of momentum and experience. For our part, we have our own European history, and while respecting our opponent, we’ll see how we can write our own chapters in European basketball. We’re in for two thrilling games that will come down to the details and our momentum. We’ll have a packed stadium, and our fans will set the pace. And we’ll need to be prepared for a heated atmosphere. We’re playing against a strong team, but we have our own strengths to counter them.”
On transfers: “Since the transfer window isn’t closed yet, there are still unresolved issues. I know we’re running late, but for now we’re moving forward with our current players; we won the Super Cup with them, and I believe we can qualify against CSKA with them.”
On the postponement, which he didn’t take advantage of: “We proved last year that we maintained a good rhythm with back-to-back games. I wouldn’t want a gap between games because we’re focused on maintaining our rhythm. It’s the start of the season; we don’t need rest—we need games—and our schedule works for us. We still have the roster and the rotation we need to be competitive and find the rhythm we want.”
On the fans: “The fans are eager. What could be better than knowing they have four or five home games or trips abroad ahead of them? They’re looking forward to them just as much as we are.”
On whether there are similarities to the AEK match: “I think it’s hard to find teams with similar playing styles. AEK and CSKA are different teams with different styles of play. We’ll have to adjust our game plan. But we’ve shown that we play our own game rather than adapting to the opponent. We always carefully analyze the opponent’s strengths and try to find ways to counter them. These are high-stakes games; the title was decided against AEK, and here we’re talking about advancing to the next round, so both have special significance.”
The tactical details that will decide the match: “I can’t say much. It will certainly come down to managing our emotions or the key moments of the game. We’ll have to manage our emotions. We need to pay attention to everything that happens in a game, stick to our game plan, keep our feet on the ground, have our strategy, and follow it, just as we have done so far.”
On OFI’s character over the past year: “That’s what builds a team. The wins and the advancements like the ones we’ve achieved. A team like OFI has to keep its eyes on the prize; it has to play every game with the same confidence. When you face the big teams, you understand their development—how they approach the games. You see the qualities—the courage, the dedication, and all the elements we need as a team to set high goals. Our journey so far has helped us build this momentum.”
*photo source: KYPE
