Ludogorets coach Ante Simundza revealed his expectations for the first match with Anderlecht from the playoffs to the 1/8-finals of the Conference League.
"I expect a very competitive game because we will face the biggest team in Belgium, and in the knockout phase. We think match by match and I want us to be best organized in the upcoming meeting," he began. "It is very important not to think about Anderlecht's problems off the pitch. We have to think only about ourselves and how we will perform. The only thing we know is that Anderlecht is a very big team and what is happening with them is not an advantage for us," added the Slovenian.
"I said that Anderlecht is generally the biggest team in Belgium, traditions matter. Are they important players of European football? Every club gets into a crisis sometimes, it's normal. What we have to be is to be smart. We have met big teams during training, but Anderlecht plays in a different way. We must be ready. All the players I can count on are ready and available. Even Pipa Avila. He will be ready and will be on the bench," said the coach.
"We will be without three suspended players - Nedyalkov, Verdon and Piotrowski. But the others are ready to play and I believe they will be useful. They have qualities and that is why they are part of Ludogorets. I believe they can do it in this game. We are all together," Simundza said.
"The Bulgarian cup is our main goal, but this does not mean that we will be relaxed against Anderlecht. We are participating in 3 competitions and want to compete in all tournaments. I want us to win every single game we play," concluded Simundza.
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