Maccabi Tel Aviv will look to advance to the second round of Europa League qualifying tomorrow (18:00) when they visit Albanian outfit KF Tirana in the return leg of the first qualifying round. Jordi Cruyff’s squad won the first leg 2:0 last week in Israel and spoke at the prematch press conference held at the Selman Stërmasi Stadium:
“I don’t think it’s correct to say that we came here already thinking that we have advanced, 2:0 is a good result but we know that nothing is finished. We are familiar with Israel’s history with Albania and we can’t take our opponent lightly. They came into the first leg very organized and we except that to be the case this time around as well.”
Weather conditions:
“The weather is similar to Israel with a lot of humidity, if we have any issues I don’t think it will be because of the weather. We have been training for only two weeks this season and we still need to play some more matches but I believe that we are ready to play. Our opponent will have to take some risks and press high and we will be ready for that.”
Impressions about his visit to Albania:
“This is the first time that I’ve been to Albania and I haven’t seen very much yet, but so far it’s been very nice, it’s been a good experience. I am familiar with players that have come from here and I respect all of the players that will be playing against us.”
European goals:
“Over the last few years our goal has been to advance to the group stages and it’s clear that this is something we want to do now. We want to succeed as much as possible in Europe.”
Veteran central defender Tal Ben Haim also addressed the assembled media:
“Last week we played against a very good club and we will continue to play our football and we expect that our opponent will make it difficult for us. We watched parts of the last match against them and focused on some of the good things we did as well as the things that need improvement. We know what to expect and we are prepared to play.”
Playing for a draw:
“We will never play for a draw and we expecting a tough contest. Tirana has some good players and we have prepared for this match and are planning on putting on a good performance. The have some good young players, but we believe in ourselves.”
