FC Basel head coach Murat Yakin was full of compliments for the club he'll be facing tomorrow for the second time this season: "If Maccabi have qualified for this stage of the competition it can only mean they're a serious outfit"
After arriving in Israel this afternoon, Swiss champions FC Basel held a final practice and a press conference at Bloomfield Stadium for the second time this season. At the conference, head coach Murat Yakin talked about the differences between the two matches the clubs played last summer in the Champions League qualifying rounds and the one he anticipates tomorrow night: "It was good for us playing here on our way to qualifying for the group stages of the Champions League but you can't compare the Basel squad then with the one we have now. The team have changed, the system has changed, the players have changed and we'll be seeing an entirely different kind of match".
"In the last encounter here when we drew 3-3 it was a very interesting match because it was important for Maccabi to get a good result at home but you can't compare then and now so we'll have to see in what direction the game develops tomorrow. In the last round of games we were lucky in the first game and in the second we were unable to maintain our advantage but tomorrow is a different story altogether. We've been following Maccabi and we know it will be an interesting attacking affair tomorrow and the players know they'll have to dominate from the very start of the match".
Yakin explained that tomorrow's tie is very important to his club and that the whole squad are primed going into the match: "For us every match is important, we take every match in its time and for now tomorrow's match is the most important one. On Sunday our league match will be the most important one. We need to get a good result here to have a chance of qualifying for the next round and we'll have to have our foot on the gas pedal from the very start because we have great expectations of ourselves and all the players are aware of how important the match is".
Yakin added his compliments to Maccabi and to head coach Paulo Sousa: "We know Maccabi very well, they have very good players, the team have developed very well and are making great progress in their league and in Europe. If they've qualified for this stage of the competition it can only mean they're a good and serious outfit. Paulo Sousa is a coach with broad international experience and I'm happy to be playing against him again after five earlier meetings. Our encounters have always been very tactical, intensive and made great demands on both teams. Tomorrow we'll meet again but it's not a reflection of a comparison between the two of us".
FC Basel's Swedish defender Behrang Safari also attended the press conference ahead of tomorrow's match: "What remains of our experience in the first encounters with Maccabi of course is that we got an excellent result but we know that it's always difficult playing away from home. Maccabi have great fans, they're a good side especially at home and even when we took a three goal lead last time we played here they got back into it and we know we have to be focused for the full 95 minutes. It's a team that work hard with good players and we'll have to be ready to fight throughout the match".
