Panathinaikos reminds me of Feyenoord, said Trpišovský. What did Vaclík advise?

There could be no contentment in Eden with this lot. “We’re probably facing the worst opponent we could have,” Slava’s captain Tomáš Holeš was relieved before the first confrontation with Panathinaikos. On the video, he could clearly see what the winner of the Greek Cup is capable of. ” sums up the defensive midfielder of the staples.

Panathinaikos is reviving after years of misery, they have built a strong team. “He reminds me a lot of Feyenoord, even if the game is a little different. But I would compare the overall quality of the team to Feyenoord,” says Trpišovský, referring to the opponent from the Netherlands in the spring quarterfinals of the Conference League, which eliminated Slavia.

So what is the strength of Panathinaikos? “In that it is a complex team. In the defensive phase, they are extremely selfless, team-oriented, they handle defensive situations well, and they have an excellent goalkeeper. Opponents will create a minimum of chances against them, they are not very vulnerable in defense,” the Slavist coach calculates the advantages of the Greek juice.

“They also control all elements of the attacking game. They are great in the wing areas, they have quick guys there. In the center of the field they have a midfielder who plays everything. They have mature players. They have strong defensive and offensive standard situations. They don’t have a weak side,” says Trpišovský.

The Slavist coaching staff also asked for information from the Czech goalkeeper Tomáš Vaclík, who plays for the rival Olympiakos Piraeus. “Our goalkeeping coach Štěpán Kolář, who is in long-term contact with him, spoke to him mainly. The view of the player who played against them is always better,” says Trpišovský.

Olympiakos have lost their last two spring games against Panathinaikos. What did the national team goalkeeper tell him about his rival from Greece? “He mentioned that Panathinaikos was a completely different team in the fall than in the spring. In the fall, they formed the team, they lost a lot of points, but in the spring, Panathinaikos was better in terms of play and results. We talked about the danger of goal scorers, especially wingers. We also discussed the preparation they had for Panathinaikos, because you can’t see these things on video. Tomáš also confirmed that in the two matches they lost against them, they didn’t have it,” revealed the head of the Slavist bench.

Although he speaks highly of the Greek juice, he does not neglect the strength of his team. “I believe they look at us the same way,” Trpišovský pointed out. “It’s fifty to fifty. We’re also a good team, we have a lot of experience on the European stage. I believe we’ll sell them,” adds Holeš.

What will decide? “Perhaps what troubled us against Hradec Králové on Sunday was the game in the penalty area. It will also decide who avoids mistakes and imposes their style, mental side on the opponent more, or who can handle critical and key moments better,” thinks the Slavist strategist. “And I expect that the rematch in Greece will then be conducted completely differently,” he adds.