After last week’s 1:1 draw in Denmark, the footballers of SK Slovan Bratislava are within reach of a historic success in the form of premier participation in the main phase of the Champions League.
Photo: ČTK / imago sportfotodienst / DANIEL STENTZ
FC Midtjylland starting eleven from the first match against Slovan Bratislava.
According to their coach Vladimír Weiss, they must play with passion in Wednesday’s home rematch of the playoffs against FC Midtjylland, but at the same time they must not be overmotivated.
If Slovan succeeds, after 1. FC Košice, Artmedia Petržalka and MŠK Žilina, Slovakia will have the fourth representative in the LM and the first in fourteen years.
In the 2010/2011 season, the Žilina club was among the cream of the crop, which did not score in competition with Chelsea London, Olympique Marseille and Spartak Moscow and took the last fourth place in the F-group.
The draw for the LM league phase, in which 36 teams will play for the first time, is scheduled for Thursday, August 29 at 18.00 hv Nyone.
“We know what kind of match we are expecting. People cheer for us and want to take pictures with us, we can’t even go and sit down for a coffee, the whole city lives tomorrow. The people are fantastic, all of Bratislava and maybe even Slovakia are cheering for us.
We feel great passion and expectations, but I, as a coach, take it with a clear head to prepare the players as best as possible for the match. They have to look forward to him, but they must not be overmotivated,” said Weiss at the pre-match press conference.
The Slavists leave for a training session in Šamorín on Tuesday afternoon, the injured Sharani Zuberu and Lukáš Pauschek are missing from the trip.
Slovan will chase the sold-out Tehelné pole on Wednesday, 250 supporters will come to cheer on the guests.
“It is a joy for every player to play in front of a sold-out stadium. I thank all the people who will come tomorrow, with their support we play better.
It is easier for us to run and we have more energy. We will do everything to get to the main stage and bring the big clubs here. It’s a great chance, because only a few players from our squad have played it in the past,” said Tigran Barseghjan.
The Armenian winger is among the offensive leaders of the reigning Slovak champion. He entered the season in excellent form, scoring five goals and two assists. Overall, however, Slovan seems compact, this season he has not yet tasted the feeling of defeat.
“We are well prepared and want to fight for promotion. After the first game, we know that we have to score more goals than them and then we will be successful, that’s clear. We have a good team, we are going in the right direction,” added Barseghjan.
Midtjylland coach Thomas Thomasberg is convinced of the qualities of his team, which he believes will handle the key match.
“We go into it rather with the belief that we can win. There is no need to worry. We have always said that our dream is to participate in the Champions League and now we are close to fulfilling it.
Even though we didn’t get the result we wanted in the first match, we believe that we will finish here. Tomorrow we will play offensively, we need to win, we are aware of that,” said Thomasberg at the official press conference.
In case of success on the Brickfield, the reigning Danish champion will secure his second participation in the group stage of the most prestigious club competition.
In the 2020/2021 season, they scored two points in six duels and finished fourth in Group D behind Liverpool, Atalanta and Ajax.
“We have several individuals in the team who know how to decide difficult matches. I think it is within our power to win in Bratislava. I believe that we will find the key to overcoming the opponent’s defense,” said midfielder Oliver Sorensen.
Source: sportweb.pravda.sk
