Jovanovic: “At Panathinaikos we are hungry for distinctions and we want to be in the groups”

With the best words about his players, he spoke Ivan Jovanovich at his pre-game press conference Panathinaikou with Braga for his playoffs Champions League (23/08, 22:00).

The Serbian coach said, among other things, that the footballers have brought the team to this point, one step ahead of the groups of the top club competition, stressing that it is important for the “clover” to claim a good result in Portugal ahead of the rematch at the Avenue.

At the same time, he underlined that Braga is a very good team, with a large presence in Europe in recent years, adding that o Willian Arao it is in a good condition but will need time and games to be in better condition.

Ivan Jovanovic’s statements:

What is the goal of Panathinaikos in tomorrow’s match in terms of the regular part?

“They are a very good team, without any doubt. With a very good roster, with a fairly large presence in Europe in recent years. A very strong opponent. We have respect for them. They are two very crucial matches, we will try to play the game we can. We need both games. It is important to claim the result both here and in Athens. Home doesn’t matter much and we will try to do the same in both games».

What is Arao’s fitness level and what changes will there be in the list?

“Willian has been training with the team, he is in good shape. It will definitely take time and games to get better. He will definitely be on the list in place of Kleinheisler. The second change will be Bart Schenkefeld in place of Palmer Brown».

Have the two qualifiers given you psychology?

“The importance of each match that comes, from the 25 we started, becomes more and more important. We don’t have time to think about what we’ve done so far. We do not have much time. We live in very high tension. We are happy about that and we will have two very big games».

Do you feel that there is extra pressure and what will you tell your players?

“This whole scene, the Champions League scene, creates only pleasant memories for me. Last time I said it was Hollywood and we had made a blockbuster with APOEL. I would like us to enter the groups with Panathinaikos, we are hungry for distinctions, we want to be in the groups. We will give everything and this setting is very beautiful in the replay and it raises the prestige of the team and the players».

What should Panathinaikos pay attention to?

“Braga’s main game is combination play, a team with an attacking nature. They have great ability in this and we must not leave the ball at their feet and especially close to the area. They have speed and quality and that can help them».

Are Panathinaikos favourites?

“We are definitely not favourites. The games at this level with all the teams are from countries higher than us. They were difficult matches and every game is different and some elements we need to reach our top performance, looking for the opponent’s weaknesses».

Were you optimistic about Panathinaikos’ jump in this two-year period?

“You get what you deserve. The team was brought here by the players, they are the protagonists, they make the decisions. The coach is simply the connecting link. When I have kids like that with that kind of attitude things become a lot easier. We are happy to be in a phase where many things are changing. It changes the level. We are missing the last step which is the groups and we will fight hard for this thing».