„Levski“ is facing one of its most serious tests in European club tournaments, and before the rematch with AEK (0:0 in the first match) the question is to what extent the „blues“ can use the accumulated playing practice and oppose a team with many times greater financial capabilities. AEK remains the more valuable team, but the early pressure of the hosts could turn into an opportunity for „Levski“. This is what Thomas Lafchis, former president of Levski, predicted to FACT.
- Mr. Lafchis, after the first match with AEK, how do you evaluate the performance of „Levski“ and has the balance of power between the two teams changed in your opinion?
- I don't think so. AEK is certainly the more valuable team, because they still have a budget that reaches 100 million euros. Levski performed very well in the first match. I don't want to go back to the other matches from the qualifiers that Levski managed to win to get here. Levski played good football, won these matches to get to the last step to enter the Champions League. Of course, it will be difficult against a team like AEK, because they have many classy players, and the difference between the other teams that Levski has faced so far and AEK is big.
The only thing that makes me think that Levski has a good chance is that this match will be AEK's third official match. Unlike us - Levski, who have a dozen or more matches already accumulated.
- So let's understand that the pure playing practice that Levski already has so far is one of the pluses…
- Yes. AEK - I don't know how they've been preparing, this is their third official match. Unlike Levski, who already have 6 matches in the qualifiers and also in the championship. We've accumulated 10 matches, which is good. And if I go back a few years, when we eliminated PAOK, who is also a better team in terms of value and players, but we eliminated them then because they had 20 days of preparation and hadn't played any official matches. And even then we were much ahead purely in terms of playing.
- What didn't we see from AEK's strength in Sofia? What didn't work out in AEK's game?
- First of all, we didn't see their audience. AEK have a great stadium, which will certainly be filled to capacity. It's not like the "Vasil Levski" stadium with a huge track and the audience far from the pitch. AEK have an exceptional coach who managed to beat Olympiacos, PAOK and Panathinaikos last season. The AEK team plays pretty good football, they have classy players in all lines, they have equal players, they buy players for a lot of money. While in Levski, as far as I can see, for the first year some budget is being released and so we can attract players, but even so we still end up with players from Group B of Portugal, from the third division in Brazil. We simply can't afford to buy a player for 10-12 million euros. And AEK can afford it. AEK play attacking football and the team is not expected to change its tactics. AEK have strong strikers and play quite aggressively on their own field.
- Quite aggressive or quite simply different, can we expect AEK's behavior in the second leg to be?
- Both more aggressive and different. I am convinced that they will try to score a goal in the first 20 minutes, which should give our boys a chance to hold on for these first 15-20 minutes and if a good counterattack can develop... In football, anything is possible.
- In your opinion, Levski relies more on the team than on individual class. Do you see this as an already imposed style of play in the team?
- I don't know if Levski relies more on the team, but this is certainly one of the coach's goals. Also, Levski certainly has individual players with very good quality and they show it - regardless of where they come from, that they have good value and interact well with each other, so that they decide matches.
- What should be paid attention to in Levski's squad before the rematch with AEK, from your point of view?
- In general, I don't see Levski changing its approach much when it plays. Levski demonstrates almost the same football. We see that Velasquez is trying to vary - to score and take out players who, in his opinion, will do a better job. In my opinion, Levski simply needs to prepare to perceive this game with initial pressure that AEK will impose. Levski certainly has fast attackers and if we allow AEK to press us in our half, but we defend successfully, why not on the counterattack to make some result that is good in the course of the match.