New Olympiakos Coach Takis Lemonis only took over yesterday, but is already focused on Juventus. “We are not here just to play a game.”
It kicks off at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT) on Wednesday at the Allianz Juventus Stadium.
The Greek side sacked Besnik Hasi on Monday after a series of setbacks, including home defeats to Sporting Lisbon and AEK Athens.
A decision was made to bring back Lemonis for his fourth different stint as Coach, having only left at the end of last season.
New Olympiakos Coach Takis Lemonis only took over yesterday, but is already focused on Juventus. “We are not here just to play a game.”
It kicks off at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT) on Wednesday at the Allianz Juventus Stadium.
The Greek side sacked Besnik Hasi on Monday after a series of setbacks, including home defeats to Sporting Lisbon and AEK Athens.
A decision was made to bring back Lemonis for his fourth different stint as Coach, having only left at the end of last season.
“Juventus, that was my first thought. It all happened so quickly, I didn’t have time to think about anything else,” explained Lemonis in his Press conference.
“My first training session was yesterday, we’ve got this huge game tomorrow, so I’ll have to think about other matters afterwards.”
Olympiakos were 2-0 up against AEK Athens, but eventually lost 3-2 and seemed exhausted after the hour mark, so is it a psychological issue or a physical one?
“It’s too early for me to talk about that. We have something to prove and the image we’ve given so far this season is not good, but when you are in the Champions League, it’s about seeing things long-term and balancing playing time out over a series of matches.
“When you have players of this level, it is easier for a Coach to bring in certain tactical ideas. These players are at Olympiakos because they are talented, so our job of explaining what we want is easier.
“We must also remember the team we are facing. I like to work with teams that keep possession and attack, but the Champions League is on a totally different level to the Greek league and we must be realistic.
“My thoughts are about how we can best face Juventus. We watched some videos together and our objective is to come back into the locker room after the final whistle happy with what we’ve done. We must be realistic, but we are also not here just to play a game.
“I think the Olympiakos squad now has more quality than it did when I was here last season.”
Juventus famously played a very tough Champions League match against Galatasaray just days after they had changed Coach, so can it help Olympiakos to be shaken up like this?
“There are no more surprises, as every Champions League club scouts the opposition and covers all bases. There are many Juventus players we are worried about, for example Paulo Dybala, but I don’t just want to choose one. There are some splendid players who are on the bench.
“It is an extremely difficult fixture for us, but the Champions League is like that and we have to face up to it. This is a tough group overall, as Sporting Lisbon are of a high quality too. We must understand the games better.”