He spoke about his derby against Olympiacos in Karaiskakis on Wednesday (05/01/25, 19:30), with the Portuguese coach referring to the character his football players should have in the field. Olympiacos and Panathinaikos will compete once again tomorrow, with the qualification of the semifinals of the Betsson Cup. In view of the big derby, Rui Vitoria talked about the derby and appreciated that the two teams cannot surprise each other after so many meetings in a short time. CORVERSE He also commented that “more than players, we need men”, stressing that football players must understand the criticalness of the race and play with passion, competitiveness and dynamism. Rui’s words Vitoria Third derby in a short time. Can a team surprise the other? “There can be no surprises, for two teams playing third together game within a few days. We know our opponent very well, but he knows us well too. We are talking about two large groups that respect each other. CORVERSE They know the value of each other and I think that in such games, because it is the most decisive game we have played so far, which will judge qualification in the next phase of the Cup, there will be many duels, it will be a powerful game with very great passion and determination. I think that the difference can make either the individual quality of some football players, or the inspirations and outbursts these footballers may have in the enemy’s dangerous zones.” What would you like the team to improve compared to the previous game in Karaiskakis? “On our side, we believe a lot in our team. We have no problem saying that the opponent is a very good team, very well worked. What we will need in tomorrow’s struggle is discipline in terms of our tactical part and we must be too strong and solid defensive. In our offensive part, we must recognize the zones we want to take advantage of very well. How we can create empty spaces and gain advantage at the right time. I think we’ll need the personality and character of our football players. I’d say in the game more than players, we need men. That is, players who enter, understand the criticalness of the game, will realize that they will have to play loud, with too much passion and competitiveness. This is because such games are usually balanced, few opportunities arise. So the effectiveness of these few opportunities that will be given to you is the ones that will judge the game.”
Vitoria for Olympiacos – Panathinaikos: “In derby more than players, we need men”
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in Sports