Monaco coach Filipe Luis stood before the media at his official press conference before tomorrow's match in the main phase of the Conference League against CSKA. The Bulgarian team hosts the leader in French Ligue 1 on Thursday, October 15, at 19:45 at the Vasil Levski National Stadium.
The Brazilian specialist stressed that his team takes on its participation in the European tournament with great responsibility and ambition. "We rely on ambition. It is an exceptional privilege for us to play in this tournament. The atmosphere is wonderful. Everyone wants to play. They have a huge desire and responsibility to play. It is very important for us to start with a victory in this tournament. The opponent has very good players, but we want to win," Luis began.
Despite his excellent results in France, he refused to define his squad as a clear favorite in Sofia. "I don't believe that we can be considered a favorite. Everyone has earned their right to participate in this tournament. I know CSKA. A very difficult team. The atmosphere here is incredible and we are playing as a guest. We have to be humble, play at a high level and try to win.", shared the visiting coach. He also added how he intends to approach the squad for the match: "I always bring additional players with me, as well as young players. It's early for substitutions, we'll see tomorrow how things will develop. We will see who is in the best condition and they will play, because victory is the most important thing".
Flippe Luis demonstrated good knowledge of the Reds and the coaching shake-up. "The CSKA team has excellent players, as well as experienced ones. Some of them are very dangerous in attack. They have an excellent central striker and good wings. They make good attacks. They changed the coach, but with the new coach they like to press. It will certainly be a tough and difficult match for us.", said the Monegasque coach.
The Brazilian emphasized that there can be no underestimation at any point in the competition. "I always think match by match. Every tournament is important. In some matches, rotations can be made, but the most important thing is to maintain a high level of play. If we consider a match to be unserious, the level is lowered. At the moment, we are at a high level. We must approach it with respect. In the future, there will be matches with better teams. If you slow down, things are very difficult to recover from.", explained Luis.
In conclusion, he also revealed his footballing requirements for the players for the upcoming match in Sofia. "I always ask the same thing from the players - to press and score goals, because that's part of our philosophy. We want to dominate and that's why we have to press.", concluded the Monaco head coach.
The specialist was also asked about the legend Dimitar Berbatov, who has worn the uniforms of both Monaco and CSKA during his career. "Berbatov? I didn't know that story. Great. He's the only one who has played for both teams. It's great if he comes to the match,", concluded Filipe Luis.