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Rodinei swings in from the right and delivers a good shot. Jovetic takes it firmly and hits the crossbar
After a corner kick, Philipp takes the ball at the far post, brings it back in and hits it low into the corner
El Kaabi is put through on the run, breaks into the box, dribbles past Atubolu and shoots. Ginter appears to block, preventing the turnaround
Höfler takes a free-kick from the edge of the box and sends it to the left of the goal
Fortounis crosses from the left. El Kaabi gets behind Kübler, dives in and makes it all square
Sildillia takes the ball into the box. Sallai bicycles the ball straight out
Eggestein takes a shot from distance and ends up smashing it over the goal
Rodinei crosses to the far post. Lienhart punches away
Podence takes a chance and shoots past Höfler
The game starts again
Grifo hits the ball low into the corner of the goalkeeper’s net, who can’t reach it
Doan is fouled by Retsos inside the area. The referee signals for the whitewash
Masouras made a breakthrough after a mistake by his opponents, broke into the box and fired a shot past Atubolu, who stepped up and prevented the game from turning around
Rodnei crosses low from the right. El Kaabi pounces on the edge of the penalty area to make it all square
Ortega opens up on the left and crosses to the far post. No one appears to complete it
Fortounis takes a corner from close range and the ball bounces off the far post
Hezze receives medical attention
Rodnei plays a ball in from the right, speeds into the area and shoots. The ball deflects off the defender and goes just wide of the left post
Hezze takes a shot from distance. The ball bounces and Atubolu saves in the middle of the goal
Höler receives the ball inside the area, gets tangled up in the ball and Freire clears it off the line
Nico Freire’s cross was too weak for Paschalakis, who was inside the area. Sallai obliged, dominated and hit a cross
El Kaabi deflects the ball into the box. Ginter reads it well, gets in front of it and takes it anyway
Freiburg have more possession and work more down the right flank
“Unfortunately I have to confirm that Gregerl isn’t here because he’s injured. We’re not in a good mood when we’ve lost twice. We lost 5-0 against Stuttgart with blatant individual errors. We had a good game against Dortmund and deserved at least a draw. We don’t plan before the season who will play where and for how long. Of course, Noah Atubolu will play.
We experienced that last year. It’s very exciting, a traditional club. The team has changed completely. We had them last year at a very opportune moment. But of course the team has nothing more to do with it.
No comment on tactics. Otherwise, those in charge at Olympiakos would know. Many other Bundesliga players aren’t allowed to make such trips. Because we came fifth last year. This is a big story for us.
It’s less about me and more about the club. We have a different philosophy to many other clubs. Some do it this way, some do it that way.
“Every game is different, like every opponent and competition, and always requires a different plan. We’re prepared, but the important thing is that our team remains firm in its identity and that we gain stability. We’re a group that’s being created and we want to stick to a plan that shows our personality. There are always different opponents and every game is different. Of course, what we want is to succeed and be effective against our opponents.
It’s a new season, a new team and new emotions. That’s the beauty of soccer, every game you can write a new story. We know we’re up against a strong opponent and a team that’s prepared and solid. With the same coach for 13 years. They’re a competitive team, but I have confidence in my players and we’re constantly improving. We want to get positive results and we’re chasing them. But we have a big advantage, our world, our headquarters. Karaiskakis will have to play the decisive role and we must take advantage of this strength and get the three winning points.
It’s a complete, quality team (Freiburg) and they’re in one of the best leagues in the world, the Bundesliga, where last year they finished fifth. They’re a strong team and we’ve known since last year that they can score easily. Even though they’ve conceded a lot of goals, they have a lot of quality in all their lines and passing. I told you before that success plays a big part when you get a chance. Even if it can be considered a weak point in a team, in this competition it’s still great quality. For us that doesn’t mean anything, we have to have a lot of quality in our play. What I see is that there’s a lot of desire to improve. In this event, even though it’s difficult, you have to start well and we’ve been working hard.
The aim is to do our best, individually and as a team or as a team and individually, in any order you like. We’re all going to be the best version we can be. We’re playing with a full team, if you press them they’ll be able to play the game and if you leave them free they’ll do the same. We want to play with heart and soul to rock our world and play with intelligence to be careful and control the details of the match. But we have to believe in ourselves, we’ve proved that we’re a team in constant evolution and we must be prepared for a game unlike any other.
We’re well prepared, we have to play with passion and give it our all. I also want to say that Olympiakos’ biggest enemy is themselves. There will be times when we have to force or maintain our concentration, but we also have to play with our soul and have emotional control of ourselves and our world. I insist that it’s a difficult and quality game in a difficult competition and the recipe is emotional control in order to have the intelligence that the game needs.”
Freiburg started the season with two wins in a row, but then went on to lose two in a row in the Bundesliga. The Breisgau-Brasilianer are 10th in the Bundesliga on six points.
Olympiacos have been playing in the Europa League since the playoffs, passing Racing Genk and Cukaricki to reach group A. The Thrylos (Legends) are unbeaten this season, with six wins and two draws, and lead the Greek Super League with 10 points.
Olympiacos vs Freiburg live this Thursday (21), at the Karaiskakis at 3 pm ET, for the Europa League. The match is valid for the 1th round of the competition.
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