Marko Nikolić emphasized the magnitude of the challenge AEK faces against Manchester City, stressing that his team must be competitive while maintaining its own style of play.

The AEK coach expressed his confidence in his players, underscored the importance of bringing AEK’s character and energy to the field, while also addressing the possibility of Erling Haaland’s absence, wishing the Norwegian forward a speedy recovery.

Razvan Marin promised that the “yellow-and-blacks” will give it their all against Manchester City was made by Razvan Marin, who represented the AEK players at the customary press conference.

Here’s what Marko Nikolić had to say:

On the match against Manchester City and AEK’s approach:

“These are teams at the very top level of European soccer, and we must be able to rise to this challenge and play our own style of soccer. Of course, we’ll take certain things into account, but I have faith in the team. We saw in the first two matches that we were competitive. Now, however, the level is rising, and we need to step up as well. I have confidence in my players, and I’ll be happy if we bring AEK’s character and the energy we need to the field.”

On whether this is the toughest game of his career and how he’s preparing his players:

“It’s an away match in the Champions League, and this competition attracts much more attention. We’ve prepared just as we do for any other game, whether it’s against Shakhtar or Panetolikos. It’s not hard to inspire my players. On the contrary, it will be much harder to motivate them for the game against Panetolikos. I believe that if we manage to showcase our strengths to the fullest and give it our all on the field, we have a chance to come away with a positive result.”

On City’s off-field issues:

“It’s not easy to assess, since we’re still at the beginning of the season. Soccer is soccer, and whatever happens off the field doesn’t affect what happens on it.”

On the possibility of Erling Haaland’s absence:

“It won’t be the same whether Haaland plays or not. However, it’s not part of our soccer culture to want an opponent to be out due to injury. I wish him a speedy recovery.”

On whether AEK will go for the win and what result he expects:

“We have to prepare for every match with the goal of winning it. Of course, what the opponent does also plays a role, and this time they have a very high-quality team. Before every game, I think about my team winning. However, even if we don’t get the result we want, I’ll be happy as long as we’ve put in a good performance. We’ll work toward the result. Nothing, however, is impossible if you don’t believe in it. Otherwise, what’s the point of coming here to play?”

Here’s what Razvan Marin had to say in detail:

“I think, as the coach said, we’ll be facing one of the top teams in soccer over the past few years. It’s an honor for us, and of course, at the same time, we’ll give it our all to compete against the top players on the European stage.”

*photo source: KYPE