Leovac and Charisis discuss the UEL draw
Right after the draw of the UEFA Europa League group stage, Marin Leovac and Charis Charisis offered their impressions.
The Croatian left full-back told paokfc.gr the following:
«Although two of our three rivals are not big names, I consider we had a tough draw. Of course we want to go through to the knock-out stages. PAOK are well known in Europe and I am certain that none of our rivals were happy to be drawn against us. It will be great to play in the spectacular home ground of Dortmund with the hot atmosphere, but it will be even better to host our rivals in vibrant Toumba. None of them will have an easy task in our home group! I am looking forward to the European encounters, being now eligible to play«.
The young midfielder of the “Double-Headed Eagle” spoke on OTE TV about the following:
On the draw:
«We have a tough task, as all teams are strong and deserve to be at this stage. Borussia Dortmund are one of Europe’s biggest clubs, but I believe we can achieve our goals. We will try to record wins at home and take important away points. We all know what Dortmund are all about, we know their home ground, their fans, they are tremendous. But we have also a strong home ground. Qäbälä FC have a good side and proved it by eliminating Panathinaikos. I admit I don’t know much about FC Krasnodar yet. They must be good if they made it to the group stage«.
On his recovery from injury:
«I am feeling a bit stressed, but on the positive side, because PAOK have high expectations and I want to respond to them. Injuries are part of football. I got injured during training and I will make an effort to return to action as soon as possible. Last season I was playing mostly as defensive midfielder and, in some matches, even more advanced on the pitch. Mr. Tudor also wants me on a defensive midfielder’s role and he knows best«.
On the draw against mighty Dortmund and minnows Qäbälä FC:
«Everybody in the squad wanted Dortmund, because it’s a different experience to play against them and try to challenge them. Our coach wants us all to be ready to play, because we will have many encounters throughout the season and we all need to be in top form. We need to be 100% focused, because if we underestimate Qäbälä FC, we will get into trouble. Perhaps Panathinaikos lacked concentration, as their rivals’ name was far from intimidating«.
