"We have chains and locks to stop El Kaabi"

Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano joked on Tuesday that he had brought ‘chains and locks’ to stop Ayoub El Kaabi, Olympiacos' best player, against whom they play in Wednesday's Conference League final.

Fiore return to a European title final after the disappointment of losing last year's edition of the same competition. They do so with the full squad available and with the desire for revenge to break the 64-year drought without winning a title outside Italy's borders, the last and only one being the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1960.

The 2001 Italian Cup was the last trophy the Tuscan side won. "We are good, Olympiacos are good. We have experience and we have to take advantage of it. For us, it's revenge and I wasn't sure we'd get this chance. But we deserved to get back to the final. Now, we must not make any mistakes and play like a final demands".

The Greek side's big threat is centre-forward Ayoub El Kaabi, who has 32 goals on the season, 10 of them in the Conference League, five in the Europa League and 17 in the Greek League. "We have chains and locks to stop him (laughs). Joking aside, we know he comes with great confidence. He and the team have done a great job," said Italiano.

The coach insisted on the idea of not changing his game, something he has always wanted to transmit with his team. "In these three years, I have always said that we must never lose our identity, especially in these matches: maximum attention to every situation, maximum concentration for any kind of possible danger. We need intensity in the fight. The match is too important," he added.

He also spoke of the possibility that playing in Athens might favour the Greek team because of the atmosphere in the city. "When you walk onto the pitch, you forget everything. The stadium will be split 50/50 and, even if they play in their home city, it won't benefit them. They haven't travelled as much as we have, it's true, but when they take the field, everything will be even," he said.

 

May 28, 2024