Olympiacos boss Jose Luis Mendilibar is urging his squad to stay cool as they prepare to take on Fiorentina in the cauldron of Athens in the UEFA Europa Conference League final.
Olympiacos are based in Pireaus, around 10 miles from the Athens stadium which is home to their rivals AEK where Wednesday night’s final will be held.
Mendilibar’s side are seeking to make history by becoming the first Greek club to win a European trophy while Fiorentina are seeking to end a 23-year wait for silverware of any kind.
With the 9,000 travelling Italian fans expected to be vastly outnumbered in Greece, Mendilibar told a pre-match press conference: “We have to stay calm and relaxed and do what got us to the final. To change anything would be a mistake.
“We have to treat this game like any other, because that’s how we managed to get to the final.”
🇬🇷 It’s Europa Conference League final week! 🥳#UECLfinal pic.twitter.com/iXNWXGNKWE
— UEFA Europa Conference League (@europacnfleague) May 27, 2024
Olympiacos entered the competition in the new year after exiting the Europa League but have caught the eye with a series of impressive displays, particularly on the road.
They overturned a 4-1 deficit from the home leg against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Round of 16 before going through courtesy of a 6-1 win after extra time.
They also scored four times at Villa Park to overcome the English side which qualified for next season’s Champions League.
“For sure (the Maccabi Tel Aviv) game showed everyone what we are capable of,” Mendilibar said.
“We went behind and then we did everything we could to turn the match around, and we managed to do so in the second leg. We realised then what we are capable of.”
Mendilibar, who lifted the Europa League with Sevilla last season, joined the club in February and has overseen all eight of their Conference League games, though he said the finish line is in sight after a marathon campaign – fittingly in…
Source link : https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/europa-conference-league-olympiacos/
Author : Alex Hoad
Publish date : 2024-05-28 18:39:49
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