Christos Kontis spoke at a press conference ahead of tomorrow’s (Nov. 5, 10:00 p.m.) match between OFI and Hapoel Be’er Sheva in Romania, for Matchday 4 of the Europa League group stage.
The Cretan team’s coach emphasized that his squad has prepared adequately and will take the field with a winning mindset, noting that his players have gained valuable experience from previous European matches.
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At the same time, he highlighted the quality and attacking style of play of Hapoel Be’er Sheva, emphasizing the need for focus, while expressing his optimism that OFI will put on a good performance, playing fearlessly and with confidence.
Here is what he said in detail:
On whether the match against Hapoel is considered a pivotal one:
“For me, there are no pivotal games—they’re all important. It’s a game where we want to get back to winning ways; we’ve prepared properly to face a good team. We’ve come here with a winning mindset; we know what this team is capable of. I believe we’ve become more experienced, we’ve figured out what it takes, and we need to show character and personality to fight for what we’re capable of.”
On the fact that the game will be played in an empty stadium:
“It’s definitely something that affects both teams, though the home team more so. It’s nice to play in a packed stadium, with voices cheering you on and waking you up, but these are the circumstances, and it won’t be the crowd that matters—it’ll be how focused both teams are on achieving what they want.”
On what he expects from the game against Be’er Sheva:
“Obviously, the games you play make you wiser; you gain experience, but you have to understand that at this level, mistakes aren’t forgiven, as happened with Bayer or Rennes, where we lost 1 or 3 points at the end. We know how focused you have to be on the field. Let’s not forget that we’re playing against the Israeli champions; sometimes we look at their budget and talk about it, but we’re playing against an exceptional team that knows what it wants on the field, very good with the ball at their feet, and I believe it will be a great game because it will be tactical. We’re definitely gaining experience, but every game has different elements; Rennes and Bayer Leverkusen are different teams, just like Hapoel Be’er Sheva.”
Regarding the tactical aspect and OFI’s approach to the match:
“Hapoel is very attacking; they love to play the game. They’re a team that wants to control the match, and when they don’t have the ball, they press high up the field and create problems for their opponents. This gives us something to think about, but I’m sure that tomorrow the guys will play a very good game without fear, with confidence in our own style, and I hope we’ll get a positive result.”
*photo source: AP
