On Thursday evening (August 13, 9:30 p.m.) PAOK will face Anderlecht on the road in Belgium, with the sole goal of overturning the 1-0 deficit from the first leg at Toumba and securing a spot in the Europa League playoffs.
The coach of the “Double-Headed Eagle of the North,” Alessio Lissi, spoke at the press conference about the areas his team needs to improve on the field, making it clear that everyone will give their all to advance.
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Here’s what he said in detail:
On how he’s approaching the second leg after the 1-0 loss at Toumba: “The work we’ve done this week is important. We have important games ahead of us and we need to improve. That’s not easy at the start of the season. We need to find a way to stay in the game. We’re constantly playing a lot of crucial matches at the beginning of the year.”
On the changes he wants to see ahead of the second match: “We have to score to advance; we have to be better with the ball at our feet when we’re on the attack. We had a few chances where we didn’t score in the first match. Those small details that didn’t go our way in the first match—we want them to go our way tomorrow. It’s a match that will be decided by the details.”
On the matter of Konstantelias and his presence at the match: “Konstantelias has a personal matter, and we all respect that. We’re here to fight for ourselves, for the fans, to secure qualification, and for Konstantelias.”
On how the first match went and whether he expects anything different tomorrow: “I’ve said that I don’t pay much attention to all the statistics. I keep track of certain specific metrics, but not all of them. At Toumba, we had possession but lost the match; I expect us to be better in the quality of our possession in the second leg. We need better management; I expect Anderlecht to show more. They’ll certainly correct quite a few things themselves, but we came here to advance.”
On the missed penalty in the first match and whether… it favors PAOK if the tie goes to a penalty shootout: “We’ve practiced penalty kicks, even before the second match against Dinamo. We’re prepared for that scenario, if necessary. Everyone prepares for a penalty shootout; we always try to be ready for any situation.”
On Giannoulis’s fitness level and the signing of Drkusic: “Giannoulis has been with us for a week now, but he’s not 100% yet. He’s ready to play a few minutes and was training hard with his previous team as well. He’s definitely available; he’s an excellent signing for us. As for the other signing, I prefer to talk about the players who are here with us rather than those who are yet to arrive.”
On whether he believes in the concept of “favorites” in soccer for matches like this: “Anderlecht has a better chance of advancing than we do. Mathematically, after the 1-0 result, they have the advantage, but we’ll fight to… defy the odds and secure qualification.”
On whether he feels pressure for the match in Brussels, especially given the score from the first leg: “I don’t feel any pressure; I’ve been in matches with more pressure than this one against Anderlecht. I’m happy, and it’s a challenge for me. My focus is on preparing myself and my team for the opponent and figuring out how we’re going to win the match.”
*photo source: KYPE
