Aiming for a positive result, Paphos faces Twente on Thursday (November 5, 10:00 p.m.) in the third matchday of the Conference League’s League Phase.
The team’s coach, Ricardo Sa Pinto, spoke at a press conference ahead of the match and named the Dutch side as the favorites, saying there is no pressure and that even a draw would be a positive result.
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Sami Maé spoke on behalf of the players.
Here is what was said in detail:
Ricardo Sa Pinto
On the many absences, the back-to-back games, and the approach: “The demanding schedule isn’t ideal, but that’s just how soccer is. The same thing happened in Naples. Our opponent is the favorite; I don’t think we’re under that much pressure. I have players I can’t include on the roster because they arrived late—the league needs to look into that. But we’re Paphos, and we’ll give it our best. Our opponent is in good form—fourth in the league and doing very well in Europe. We’re expecting a great atmosphere; the players love these kinds of games—they enjoy playing them. Even a draw is a good result.”
On the match: “We’ve studied our opponent extensively. They have a lot of quality on defense, in midfield, and on offense, with very talented players on the wings. They’re a team that likes to spring surprises, as they switch up their formations during the game. They can hurt you with deep passes. We’ve analyzed all of that.”
What would a potential victory in a match like this mean? “No matter how many problems we have with injuries, we’re still on track; we’re not falling behind in the league. In Europe, we’re still in the running. We’re not the favorites tomorrow, and a good result would certainly help a lot.”
What about the opposing coach’s kind words about Paphos? “When you’re part of Paphos FC, we have a responsibility to fight in every game. We’ve had our ups and downs in the league, but I’m sure that in the future we’ll get wins and achieve success.”
So far, he hasn’t faced a Dutch team and has suffered only one loss to the Dutch, back when he was still a player for the Portuguese national team: “I know Dutch soccer very well. They’re attacking teams with very good defenders. We’ll put all that experience and knowledge to work tomorrow. I hope my winning streak continues.”
Sami Maé
His comments on the match: “Games like tomorrow’s don’t need any extra motivation. These are the kinds of games every player wants to play in. We shouldn’t take a passive approach; we have quality players too, and if we play with focus and passion, we can put on a good game.”
On his brother, Ryan Maé: “I talk a lot with my brother, Ryan. My impressions of the league are very positive. He told me nothing but good things about Cyprus and helped me come here. I watched him play and got a sense of the outstanding season he had. He told me nothing but good things about Paphos. We’re not where we want to be yet, but we’re all working together as a family to get the team where we want it to be.”
