© EuroFootball.com
The footballers of Panevėžys club "Ekranas" arrived in Belgium, where on Wednesday at 21 o'clock Lithuanian time they will play the first UEFA Champions League 3rd qualifying round match against Brussels "Anderlecht".
The coach of the Lithuanian champions, Valdas Urbonas, admits that his team will not have many advantages in the match against the strongest team in Belgium, but he assures that quality gaps can be filled with character strength.
"Anderlecht" is a team of high skill. We have analyzed the opponents' game. Our only advantage could be that the opponents' season is just beginning," he said.
"Of course, the team is very strong. When you meet such an opponent, you test your capabilities. I think these kinds of matches don't need to motivate the players, because they realize that if they give up - it will be a sad sight. It's not worth going back to magic tricks, talking about whether they were successful or unsuccessful. We have an opponent and we are preparing for it."
Urbonas added about a positive outcome: "In Brussels, we will be satisfied with a result that would allow us to hope to continue the fight for progression to the next stage in Vilnius."
Meanwhile, experienced defender Ignas Dedura said: "It was most important for us to beat "Shamrock Rovers". We didn't think about the opponents in the next stage at all. Now the most important thing is to play successfully, the best result would be not to lose. The match against "Shamrock Rovers" was crucial, and it will be very difficult in Brussels, of course, these are not ordinary matches, but we will try to advance to the next stage."
