Mendilibar Shares Thoughts on Olympiacos-Fiorentina Game

Coach Jose Luis Mendilibar says that Olympiacos FC are trying to keep a “level head” amid the excitement of the UEFA Europa Conference final tomorrow night, Wednesday 29 May.

After beating Aston Villa 6-2 on aggregate in the second leg of their semi-final on 9 May, the Greek outfit are now determined to win their first-ever European trophy when they face ACF Fiorentina in the Conference League final.

In an interview with UEFA (published via their website on Monday, 27 May), Mendilibar spoke about the upcoming match, which will be held at the OPAP Arena in Athens, Greece – not too far from Olympiacos’ home turf of Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus.

“The excitement is palpable,” he said. “When we play at home, fans are there over an hour before kick-off. People cheer like mad on the streets, too. Anyone who recognises you stops to say hi. They stop your car and they’re crazy happy. I just hope they’ll be just as happy after the final.”

However, the 63-year-old Spaniard added: “We must keep a level head, treat it like any other game. The week leading up to the game will be as normal as possible.”

Still, it would be “amazing” for his men to beat Fiorentina and lift the championship trophy: “We know it’ll be very tough against an Italian side who compete at the top, but you never know in finals; they’re anyone’s game.”

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