On Thursday evening, Besnik Hasi’s men will host AEK Athens at Lotto Park. Getting through the play-offs of the Europa Conference League promises to be a tough challenge, as our coach also knows. “We will have to be at our best to be better than AEK,” he said the day before the clash with the Greeks, “but we have built up more rhythm.” Watch the full press talk with our coach, now available on Mauve TV.
“AEK is a team with experience and plenty of quality on the ball,” Hasi began. “They often play through the centre with short combinations and create a lot of danger with their two fast, strong strikers.” One of those strikers is Luka Jović, who moved to Real Madrid in 2019 for €60 million. “Jović joined later this summer, but he was decisive right away last weekend for his team. He clearly is a player of quality, but we don’t focus only on him,” our coach stated.
“We always look at how we can challenge the opponent, and especially their midfield is their main weapon. It’s a good team with many internationals, and we will need to be at the top of our game to be the better side.” But Hasi also sees opportunities. “We might have a bit more rhythm since we have already played more matches. We need to use that to our advantage by dictating the tempo of the game.”
A thrilling clash is expected at the Park. “Qualifying for European football is important for the club, both financially and sportingly,” Hasi pointed out, “especially given the large squad we have. At RSCA, it’s always the ambition to play in Europe, so the pressure is not greater than usual.” Hasi will miss some key players such as Simic, Sardella, Camara and Degreef (suspended). “That’s unfortunate, but the same goes for AEK. We just need to show that we are on the right track and making progress, and then results will follow.”
“After being eliminated against BK Häcken, we lost our joker. It’s now up to us to set that straight,” Hasi said the day before the first leg. Kick-off is at 8 p.m. at the Lotto Park. “And at home, on European nights, we can always bring a little something extra.”