Levski head coach Julio Velasquez gave a press conference before tomorrow's clash with Botev (Plovdiv) from the 7th round of the First League. The match at "College" is at 19:00, BTA reported.
„The mood in the team is incredible, because what we have done so far is extremely positive. Obviously, when you compete in any match, you go in with the idea of winning. When each match ends, we have to put things in their context and analyze them objectively. The team is responding very positively in the domestic championship and what happened in the preliminary rounds of the Champions League is something that we should consider as a great success.
For our club at this moment, after so many years without playing in the group stage of any of the European tournaments, being in the Europa League draw is something incredible and something that we should appreciate. These steps are in the right direction. This is a team that should have the opportunity to play in the preliminary rounds of the European tournaments every year. If someone is not well, then we have a big problem.
It is extremely good that we will play in the Europa League, but at the moment I am still the same. His focus is on the match with Botev Plovdiv. That is exactly where the key is for a team to grow. If after one draw, for five hours we focus on the teams we will play against, we enter mediocrity. We must be wise and stable. Let's know that the most important match is tomorrow's match. When the Europa League matches come, we have to be professional and responsible“, said Julio Velasquez.
The Spaniard also spoke about the upcoming match with Botev Plovdiv: “Botev is a team that plays quite steadily at home. A team that changes its way of playing and improves it since the beginning of the season and that will certainly make our day quite difficult. We have to be able to show this stability that we showed against Spartak Varna. An extremely difficult week is starting for us. In tomorrow's match we have to be extremely concentrated. We have to forget everything that has happened so far in Europe.
I am a coach. All organizational issues are up to the management. Whether we will play on one day or another, that is not related to me. Whether we will have two or three days to recover - we work with what we have. Yesterday we did a conditioning workout.
I have a lot of respect for the opponent. First of all, for the coach himself, with whom we have always had a good relationship. Botev has all the conditions to fight for the top places in the championship. An extremely important city for Bulgaria, an incredible stadium. They have players with whom they can fight for a place in the first third of the standings. We have to play a good game to be in a position to win it“.