Vincenzo Italiano: We are not favorites

Fiorentina’s coach, Vincenzo Italiano, held a press conference with the participation of his player Antonin Barak at the Artemio Franchi Stadium before his match against Demir Grup Sivasspor in the first leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16 .

Italiano said: “I don’t think there is anyone at Fiorentina who thinks we are the favourites. They emerged as the leader of the group. They did well. We come from a difficult journey. We will meet a team that has competed in Europe more than us in recent years. They have more experience than us. Turkish football has become a major topic in recent years.

Emphasizing that they must fight well against Sivasspor, Italiano said: “If we play well like in the last matches, we can get an advantage for the second leg. We must concentrate in the highest way. We must not think that Fiorentina is superior. We have to be very careful against such an opponent. “When playing in Europe, difficulties can arise at the most unexpected moment,” he said.

“WE MUST BE CAREFUL”

Expressing that they had a good time as a team, Italiano stated that they needed to reflect their quality on the pitch against Sivasspor and that they wanted to control the game because they were playing at home.

Emphasizing that Sivasspor is an opponent to be reckoned with, Italiano said: “An opponent who plays very well 4-3-3. They move fast. They hang very well behind defense. We must pay attention to this. They take off well. We have to pay attention to the features we work with,” he said.

BARAK: WE WILL GIVE EVERYTHING

Czech footballer Antonin Barak said: “We have to focus on tomorrow’s game. Although it is difficult, we must do everything right to pass the course. The team is focused on the game. I think we are on the right track. We will give our all. Tomorrow we will play against a very strong opponent. We have to be very careful,” he said.

Barak added that they hope their fans will support tomorrow. (AA)