Trpišovský: Panathinaikos reminds me of Feyenoord. They are vulnerable in defense and dangerous in attack

Slavia will face Panathinaikos at home in the third round of the Conference Finals on Thursday night. Jindřich Trpišovský expects a very strong team, he compared them to Feyenoord at the press conference.

Panathinaikos is a team with a huge history. It is one of the most successful in Greece, at one time regularly qualifying for the Champions League. But in the last decade, decline has set in and Panathinaikos is not what it used to be.

They finished as high as fourth in the Greek league, and made it to the preliminary rounds of the European Cups by winning the cup. Yet coach Trpišovský sees them as an extremely strong opponent.

“In terms of the overall quality of the team, I would compare them to Feyenoord. It’s a complex team, they are extremely dedicated in the defensive phase, they are a team. They are not very vulnerable in defence and in attack they control all the elements of the attacking game, they are great in the wing areas, there is a strong striker on both flanks. In fact, they have no weaknesses,” Trpišovský complimented the Greek side.

Nevertheless, according to bookmakers and experts, Slavia is the favourite to qualify. According to the Slavia coach, little things can make the difference.

“I believe they look at us in the same way. The game in the penalty area, which troubled us on Sunday, could decide it. It will be decided by how effective the teams are, who will take the lead in the match. I also expect two completely different games, the rematch will be differently run. Two evenly matched teams are facing each other and it will be decided on the pitch,” Trpišovský thinks.

The team from Athens has not played a single competitive match yet, which can be a complication towards the preparation for the opponent. The coaching team was also helped by Tomáš Vaclík, who was managed at Žižkov and currently plays for Olympiakos.

“We’re basing it on the games they played at the end of last season. We saw the preparatory matches, we were at one of them in person. Vaclik was mainly spoken to by Štěpán Kolář (goalkeeper coach), it’s always better to get information from a player who played against a given team. We confirmed thatPanathinaikos is a completely different team in the autumn and spring,” said the 46-year-old coach.

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