Houtesiotis: “AEK is a difficult opponent – The main thing is to have a winning mentality in every match”

In the winning mentality that Aris must show in every match, regardless of the organization and the opponent, L stoodEuteris Houtesiotis in his statements ahead of Thessaloniki’s match with AEK in “Kl. Vikelidis” on Sunday (3/3, 19:30).

The Greek goalkeeper praised the competitive elements of “Enos”, however emphasizing his belief that his team will respond.

In detail, Lefteris Houtesiotis spoke to NOVA about:

-whether the previous loss to Panathinaikos has affected him and his teammates, after the streak of eight unbeaten games: “Unfortunately it broke a streak of consecutive games without a negative result. We can’t stay there. Sure, it doesn’t affect us. Obligations are running. We have equally important games ahead of us, first against AEK and then the repeat semi-final of the Cup. Immediately after that, the Playoffs games begin. Therefore, there is no room for backtracking. We look to hold on to any positives from this particular game and focus on the next opponent».

-how the Aris players should approach the game against AEK: “Our team has shown that they respond in big games. Games with theoretically easy opponents hide more traps for us. In the games that have a high degree of difficulty, our team shows the face it should. AEK is a difficult opponent. They are a championship team. Nothing changes for us in the way we will deal with this particular game. We want to have a winning mentality in all games. So, we want the positive result».

-what Aris should pay attention to from AEK: “AEK is a team that presses quite high. She has quality in her attacking third. We know well how to deal with this. Also, AEK is strong in the set phases. We have analyzed the opponent’s style of play. I believe we will respond properly to all of this».

-if the Aris players treat the match against AEK as a dress rehearsal for the following Playoffs matches, as they did to a certain extent with the match against Panathinaikos that preceded it: “In a way, these two games are a dress rehearsal, because they are two opponents we will face again».

-how the Aris players can distinguish in their minds the match against AEK and the one that follows with Panaitolikos for the Cup: “The main thing is not to single out the games. What we need to have in every match is the winning mentality. It’s something we’ve largely succeeded in doing this season, so we need to continue. The winning mentality is what will make us stand out».