Almeida: “Mentally ready for Antwerp, a completely different game than the friendly”

AEK meets Antwerp in Belgium for the first game of the Champions League playoffs. Among other things, Matias Almeida mentioned in the press conference that his players are ready for this game.

At the same time, he stressed that tomorrow’s game will have nothing to do with July’s friendly in which Union won 3-0, saying he’s glad AEK have a Europa League ticket but that’s the goal is to qualify for the leading European interclub competition.

What Matias Almeida said in detail at the press conference: For Antwerp: “We studied the opponent, like all opponents. We have taken the time that we think is necessary. We only had a few days after the last game. We all know why it happened. We only did one training session. Through the training we completed, we collected more information about Antwerp“.

About how mentally ready the team is after qualifying with Dinamo Zagreb: The goal at first is to advance to the next round and face off against this opponent. We are mentally ready. We’ve put in a lot of effort and we’re happy to be in the Europa League already. Our goal is to pass the qualification.

Because does he think there will be big differences between the two sides compared to the friendlies they played?: “Obviously the game we played against Antwerp will be completely different. We’re going to face an opponent who has a very good function, a teamwork that works on the pitch, very well. He has fast players. He won the double in Belgium, just like us. The two teams with slightly different styles but with the same intention of victory. The game will be difficult. We respect the opponent but we will play our game“.

About whether he made the decision to go for those games in Europe and face great coaches: “As for me. When I came to Greece I thought about how I will keep my position and how God can help me to win the championship. I’ve seen it in front of me throughout the year and to be here and to compete in this competition is the consequence of our goal. No more, no less.

As for the coaches I’ll be up against, I’ve completed 13 years as a coach and have a history as a footballer. I really don’t get around to comparing or imagining what others have experienced. It’s been a dream for me to be here and I’m grateful to be here and I enjoy being the coach of AEK.

We want to have a very good run because I have faith in the team. Since I was a soccer player, I have this to say. Now we are coaches and not players. The most important are the players. We try to do our job. Participating in some kind of competition doesn’t appeal to me“.