Avi Rikan, the Maccabi left back spoke about the upcoming Europa League Matchday Five clash against Zenit in St. Petersburg on Thursday at 18:00 Israel time. Number 22 discussed reaching the Round of 32, the match on Thursday, his return from injury and he also looked back to the win in Kiryat Shemona:
“It wasn’t a secret that we needed this win and the points to take some of the pressure off of us. It was a sweet victory. Once the match ended we were already focused on the Europa League game on Thursday night which is very important. We want to play well and win.”
More on the Kiryat Shemona match:
“We were very happy especially for Vidar and it gave us a lot of confidence. A lot of the players have been through plenty in their careers and they know how to make the switch between the league and Europe.”
Impact of the first match between the clubs on Thursday’s contest:
“It was one the strangest games in football from every which angle, but we aren’t looking back to that match whatsoever, it shouldn’t have any impact on Thursday. We will be taking this contest very seriously and we know that it won’t be easy as they are very good. We know what kind of quality side they are and we are preparing for them as the professional staff is doing a great job to get us ready.”
Looking ahead to the return match:
“I agree that we may have been very dominant in the matches so far, but we are coming into a totally different game on Thursday at Zenit. We will have to work very hard defensively and close down their flanks. They have players who know what to do and they are a very good home side that are also very physical. But we are ready and I hope that we will come back to Israel with a smile on our faces.”
Reaching the Round of 32:
“Everyone knew that Zenit was probably going to take first place in the group so the second position was going to be the one that the rest of the teams would fight for. We may be in a good position to advance but anything can happen. We really want to make it to the Round of 32 as Maccabi is a team that always wants to do well in any competition that we are participating in. We have two more games to do so and I hope that on Thursday we will take another step towards that goal.”
Returning from injury:
“It wasn’t a simple injury to come back from and it’s taken some time to get into game shape. Both the professional and medical staff did their best to get me fit and they deserve a ton of credit. They really helped me a lot and now that I’m playing and getting more minutes I’m feeling even better and I’m here to help Maccabi do the best that we can, we want to reach all the goals that we have set for ourselves.”
