Maccabi Tel Aviv landed in Athens earlier today for the return leg of Europa League Third Round Qualifying against Panionios on Thursday at 22:00. The Yellow & Blue won the first leg 1:0 and will look to advance to the playoff round.

Prior to the practice, Head Coach Jordi Cruyff spoke at the prematch press conference: “I think that’s it’s clear to everyone that this will be a very difficult match, just like the home leg. This is the second half of the games that we will play against each other and we are ahead 1:0. Now we have to complete the mission and advance to the next stage.”

About Panionios’s performance in the first leg:
“I believe that at home Panionios have made this match a very difficult one for us. Now we have to play at their home stadium and they will play with a lot of passion. It will be very hard to play against them and we will prepare for that accordingly.”

Tomorrow’s game plan:
“We never discuss our game plan. We always try to play our game and we have our style which will try to do tomorrow. This will be a tough match and the result in the first game has made this game wide open. We will have to be focused and prepared for this game.”

Expectations from Panionios and preparing to play in their stadium:
“I’m sure that this stadium will give them a good home push and that the crowd will support them, but we are used to this from our league so it shouldn’t be a problem. I expect that Panionios will want to draw even and wipe out the deficit. Like I said, the result is one that can be erased and it can be dangerous for both sides. I also expect them to play with a lot of passion. They will attack from the beginning and we will have to be ready for that.”

Intention from the get go to defend or try and score a goal:
“Our mentality is to usually play to win. Even for our league matches we never prepare in which we try not to lose but to play and win. It would be a mistake to change this attitude.”

Potential Panionios key players:
“We’ve analyzed the opponent and they have some interesting players. I’m sure that every club analyzes their opponent to know how to prepare.”

Striker Aaron Schoenfeld added: “We are ahead 1:0 from the first leg. It was a difficult match in Israel. I believe that we didn’t play our best game and now we are ready for a battle. We are a team that wants to win every match and we are prepared for this game. I hope that I’ll be able to help my club advance to the next round.”