V. Čeburinas: "Preparing our strategy for the match against the Hungarians

2023-08-23 15:22 © E. Žaldario

Coach Vladimiras Čeburinas of "Žalgiris" spoke about the importance of psychology before the UEFA Europa Conference League match against "Ferencvaros", while Saulius Mikoliūnas highlighted the desire to seize the last chance to reach the group stage.

On Thursday, "Žalgiris" will start the final stage of the UEFA tournament with a match against the Hungarian champion "Ferencvaros". The winner of the pair will advance to the group stage, while the losing team will end their international appearance.

"We are at the doors of the group stage and both teams understand this. We have enough information about the opponents, we were able to analyze each other, gather a lot of details. Both teams went the champions' path. Both have their tasks, plans for the match. The teams' preparation for the match is very serious," said V. Čeburinas.

This will be his third encounter with "Ferencvaros" in his career, and the second time "Žalgiris" faces this opponent in three years.

"We have already faced each other against this titled club with a deep history. We have our second chance, the coach has his third chance. This is our last chance in the qualifiers if we want to achieve our goals set before the season. We understand that. I want to thank the fans who always come to support us no matter what and give us that boost. We appreciate that. In tomorrow's match we will do everything to achieve the result. We want to prove it not just by words but by actions. That will be the main goal," said S. Mikoliūnas.

"Žalgiris" fought until the very end against Istanbul's "Galatasaray" in the previous stage, but they couldn't match the Swedish champions in the second stage.

"Our performance against the Swedes was disappointing, we understand that. In the match against a caliber opponent like "Galatasaray" we showed that the team can play. We know that now is our last chance. It would be wrong to think that it's all over. We set high goals and we will make every effort to achieve them," assured the "Žalgiris" captain.

For the final training before the match, the Žalgiris players gathered unusually early on Wednesday morning. "We slightly changed the preparation schedule. We gave more time for recovery. There is a lot to talk about. There are tasks we want to achieve on the field. That requires more time. We are preparing our strategy for the match, our plan. We have already prepared certain details for the championship matches. However, we need to finalize certain things," clarified V. Čeburinas.

When asked to compare the upcoming opponent with the previous ones, the coach replied that it is difficult to do: "The playing styles of the teams are very different. "Ferencvaros" likes to attack, dislikes defending. But overall, the style of play differs."

Asked about the importance of psychology and the team's state of mind, the coach said that psychology and physical condition are practically equally important. "Psychology plays a big role in such matches and in sports in general. The psychological factor is very important. After failures in European matches, we had discussions. We talked about how to overcome that psychological barrier. The players and all of us understand what responsibilities we have. It will take time to think, to think about decisions," he said.

The Žalgiris team played the first four matches at home. V. Čeburinas was asked if a victory at home is necessary to progress further.

"It is understandable that it would be difficult not to win. Not winning for the second time would close the doors. We are preparing and thinking about it. We have experience playing against such teams. However, the opponents' team players have changed. Not significantly, but the style of play of "Ferencvaros" has changed. We understand the seriousness of this opponent. We have been playing in European tournaments for more than a year. I have mentioned that there must be a Team on the field. It will be there. We will do everything to move forward," the coach said.

When asked how many disappointing matches the team had this season, V. Čeburinas replied: "In every match, players give their maximum effort. We have no complaints about dedication. There are matches where things don't go as we want. That's why we talk about having a Team on the field, those plans, those ideas can be better fulfilled."

The first matches between "Žalgiris" and "Ferencvaros" will take place on Thursday, August 24, from 7 pm at the LFF Stadium.