21 October 2014
Michel and Alejandro Dominguez say Olympiacos are ready for the arrival of Juventus when the two sides lock horns in Wednesday evening’s important Champions Group A meeting at the Karaiskakis Stadium.
The reigning Greek champions, who have begun this 2014/15 European campaign with a victory and defeat in their opening two encounters, go into the game after a last-gasp 3-2 league win over Ergotelis at the weekend.
With all four Group A sides sitting on three points apiece, a victory for either team tomorrow would signal a step in the right direction as far as qualification to the knockout stages is concerned.
Speaking to the media in Piraeus earlier this evening, the Spanish tactician began: “We know how we’ll approach the game, we showed that we’re capable of doing so during last season’s competition.
“We made too many errors in attack in our previous tie against Malmo and those same mistakes were made against Benfica last year but the difference was we got the result. We need to see if we’re up to the competition.”
The Spanish connection is alive and well in both outfits who have five players between them, and Michel is fond of one Bianconeri La Roja star in particular.
“Morata is an excellent player, I signed him for Real Madrid from Getafe when he was only 15-years-old. I’d prefer if neither he nor Llorente played tomorrow, but I have a soft spot for Alvaro.”
Regardless of the group boasting four domestic champions, Michel was adamant that both form and reputation go out of the window when it comes to European encounters.
“It’s difficult to predict how the game will end up. No-one expected our result up against Atletico. We’re anticipating a match full of quality and it’d be even better if Kasami scores a header. But we’ll see if he plays, I don’t want to give too much away to Allegri.”
Choosing to continue with the tactics talk, the 51-year-old stated that Juventus’ customary 3-5-2 formation is not alien to him.
“It’s not the first time we’ve come up against this formation. We know how they’ll set up to defend and attack and we’ll be ready for it. We respect them but we’re hungry to continue our run. We’re proud of the way we’re spoken about outside of Greece."
Alongside Michel in the press suite was Dominguez and the Argentine highlighted the increased significance tomorrow’s encounter has now taken on following the Malmo defeat.
The 33-year-old said: “Tomorrow evening’s game is an opportunity we can’t let slip and it’s necessary we keep up the great performances from our previous matches. We’re conscious of our responsibilities and will give our all.”
The attacking midfielder concluded by talking up a possible secret weapon the home side have at their disposal.
“Our ground is a difficult place to come for any team - our fans intimidate the opponents and we’re expecting a fantastic atmosphere. Juve are a great team full of quality, but we know we’re well prepared for the game.”
