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Poznań's "Lech" team coach Mariusz Rumak is convinced that his players will advance to the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.
The Polish vice-champions will play their first highly anticipated match against the leader of the Lithuanian championship, Vilnius "Žalgiris", in Vilnius on Thursday.
"I know 'Žalgiris' well and their coach Marek Žubas, who hides nothing. They are not the team that could surprise us," said the 36-year-old coach. "I am sure we will perform better than in the national championship match against 'Cracovia' last weekend. Even though we played poorly, we still could have won if not for a bizarre goal by the opponents. I know the players will be ready, so everything will be fine."
He added: "Even players who are recovering from injuries, such as Luis Henrique and Rafał Murawski, will travel with the team. We all want to be together."
Defender Szymon Pawłowski echoed the coach's sentiments: "We know we need to improve our game and we hope to do that tomorrow. Our goal is only victory. Of course, cup matches are not easy, and the opponent is strong, as shown by their results. They are stronger than Espoo's 'Honka' in the previous round and are dominating the Lithuanian championship. However, we want to win both matches."
