We want to make our fans proud
How have you prepared for the game?
“We are all looking forward to playing with one of the top Premier League clubs. We have prepared and we just want the game to start already. It is a special occasion for us and for the club. I can see, how concentrated the players are. We went through all the details which was difficult with all the changes in Leicester line-up and tactical. A lot of work has been done.”
What is the most dangerous feature of Leicester City?
“I am looking forward to Leicester as a team because they are one of my favourites. They have many dangerous players up front, we all know about Vardy, of course. I think he belongs among five top strikers in the world. Maddison is great when it comes to creativity, but Barnes is the player whom I really enjoy watching. You can’t hear much about him, but I think he is equally dangerous as Vardy.”
Will you change the line-up to match the opponents?
“It is complicated this time as Leicester are hard to predict. They use several tactical patterns and they can change them even during the game. I saw three of them in one of their recent games. They have also different types of players, so we don’t know how they are going to play against us. This time we must focus on ourselves during the preparations. Of course, we need to consider the strong features of Leicester play, but we will focus on our own game.”
Have you spoken about Leicester to Tomáš Souček and Vladimír Coufal from West Ham?
“I am in contact with both every week. We have discussed Leicester in general after the draw. I saw their mutual game; it was the first one for Vladimír Coufal. But we didn’t go through some details, I think we know the club well. We had two months to follow them, I saw last fifteen games of Leicester. We have enough information.”
Playing against Jamie Vardy, how can you prepare for such a player?
“It is a difficult task. As I have already said, we play against a great striker whom I deeply admire. He is not only fast, but he makes quick decisions. He is a killer, rarely caught in the offside. He is often on the offside line, hardly ever offside. He could teach this. We tried to prepare for him, watched him a lot, but it will be about the lads on the pitch, about their position and foresight. I think our players are clever enough, but it will be a difficult test of their abilities.”
Do you have any message for the fans who cannot be at the stadium?
“I am very sorry for the fans. It is a pity such a game will be played without fans. We all remember the atmosphere here at Eden. It is a special occasion to have such an opponent, for us and for the fans too. We will do everything to make them proud, we want to face up to the English opponent.”
