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Stanislav Genchev: Levski's goal is to win both the title and the cup

Levski has 19 points at the top of the standings and is only behind Ludogorets on goal difference

Sep 21, 2024 15:58 165

The senior coach of Levski (Sf) Stanislav Genchev quite seriously praised the Slavia team, which is their opponent in tomorrow's capital derby from the 9th round of the First League. According to the young specialist, white is at the forefront of almost every statistic of the game, but individual mistakes prevent this team from showing its full potential.
Levski has 19 points at the top of the standings and is only behind Ludogorets on goal difference, who also have the same number. The match on Sunday (September 22) at the Alexander Shalamanov Stadium starts at 17:30.
"Carlos Ohene's condition is improving, but he will hardly be able to take part in tomorrow's match, unfortunately. Because he is very important to us. The condition of Asen Mitkov and Lima is improving, but they also remain out of the group for the match. There are no other serious problems, Genchev began his press conference today with a summary of the problems with the injured and sick in the team.
"Jevad El Jemili didn't make the group last week because he wasn't ready for the match. When I said he wasn't ready, I meant his overall attitude towards the training process. He was quite unfocused and it affected his team mates badly as well and that was the reason why he was not in the group. He's been training pretty well this week, I hope he keeps up the same level of training today to get into the group and possibly help us win."
"I have told the players from the first day and they heard at my first press conference that the goal of the team is to become champions and win the cup. There's no reason not to talk about this stuff, and that's our main goal. We all have the same goal. We work for it, we pursue it, and that's why we talk about this thing. And we comment on how it can be achieved".
Then he focused specifically on the opponent, who is in 12th place in the standings with 8 points.
"First of all, I want to say about the Slavia team that statistically they are one of the best performing teams in Bulgaria. By many indicators, they are in the first places. For example, they are the team that creates the most chances. They are in second place by expected goals, they are in second place by the number of completed offensive corners. They are in second place when returning a lost ball. They are at the top of the ranking by many indicators, it's just that at certain times they make individual mistakes that prevent them from emerging as winners. In addition, they have been working with Zagorcic for a long time, they know what to do on the field and their team play is at a good level.
Everyone in Levski is familiar with these specifics of the "white" team and Genchev stated that there should not be any relaxation given the good play of the team and the victory, and given the bad form of Slavia. Genchev ruled out any underestimation and called for concentration and extreme mobilization as the only way to reach victory tomorrow.
"First of all, I want tomorrow for the whole 90 minutes to play at a high level, not to divide into a better first half or a better second half. This is our goal - to have consistency in the team, because only consistency can bring us to the goal we have set for ourselves. Personally, I hope and am sure that our team will approach tomorrow's match seriously so that we can emerge victorious.
Genchev watched live Slavia - Ludogorets. When asked who are the competitors for the first places, he said: "It is unnecessary to talk about Ludogorets, because they have the best footballers. And you see they have won four games 1-0 at the moment. And this is done with momentary outbursts of individual contestants. They have the best players in Bulgaria. It is clear that they are the main contender. Botev (Plovdiv) and CSKA 1948 have made a very pleasant impression on me so far, and I can add Black Sea to them. They have kept their squad from last year, they have a good coach and they will certainly be one of the teams to challenge us.