After 18 years, Fenerbahçe will play its first match in the UEFA Champions League. Team captain Milan Skriniar and coach İsmail Kartal of the yellow-dark blue team, who will face Roma, one of Italy's well-established teams, spoke at the pre-match press conference.
SKRINIAR: FENERBAHÇE PLAYS TO WIN
"We are very happy because after 18 years, the Champions League returned to this beautiful stadium. We have a great responsibility towards the fans. Roma is a very strong team, but I think we have prepared ourselves very well and we want to get the first points in the Champions League.
We know that a very strong team is waiting for us tomorrow. They have very strong players like Dybala and Malen. We must combine all our forces, not just defense. We must target their strong points. Fenerbahçe plays to win.
We have experienced players, they have played in the Champions League. You experience the same excitement whether you play in the Champions League for the first time or your 50th time. We are all very happy, very proud. We will do our best tomorrow.
We returned to the Champions League after many years. In the match we played against Lyon, we knew that we were one step away from the Champions League. We did it. We don't want to be a team that only plays in the Champions League. We want to earn points. If you are in Fenerbahçe, your goal should always be higher.
I played against Gasperini many times. The matches were very difficult. They really play very physical football, they run a lot. Of course, the quality increased even more with Rome. There is not much to say, we worked very well and made detailed analyses. I think we are ready for this match.
İSMAİL KARTAL: I AM CONFIDENT OF MYSELF AND MY PLAYERS!
"We have almost completed our work on the Rome match. There will be a small tactical training this evening. We made all the analyzes of Rome. We worked well. We had good training.
Roma has the strongest squad in its history. They are in form now and have won all 3 matches in the league. They have been working with Gasperini for 2 years.
We are ready for the match tomorrow. We identified the opponent's deficiencies not only in defense but also in attack. We will do our best. Our fans will be the driving force for us as always. We trust ourselves.
We will have a fiction based on Rome. We will fight as Fenerbahçe that wants to take advantage of their gaps.
All our players are valuable, they know how to play in every system, and we will have a different lineup compared to Rome in tomorrow's match.
We're not going to play a completely transitional game. They are a good team, they press all over the field and there are areas where they risk the game in their own way. We will try to get results using these.
ASENSIO'S LATEST SITUATION
Asensio's injury continues. We have very valuable players, they will be as good as Asensio and Guendouzi and will do their best.
We are very happy to qualify for the Champions League after 18 years. We achieved this all together. We will play the first match in the Champions League. We are very excited. I know and see that no matter who plays, everyone will do their best. I'm very confident in myself and my players right now.
Fans are our everything, our indispensable part. They have never left us alone until today. We are grateful to them. We will do our best for them. This is a Champions League, strategy match. They need to be aware of this and support us. We must fight together and be a whole until the final whistle of the game. We must fight this struggle as a whole.
"Right now I'm very confident in myself and my players."
