By Sheryl Ritchie
Maroan Sannadi Harrouch – Forward
Most Read on FollowFollow.com The FollowFollow.com Friday Preview – Hearts at Home Dessers Departs – A look back at Cyriel In The Eye Of The Storm – Rangers 0-0 Celtic
This is your second European tie for AC, are you more at ease? – “Starting to get normal for me now, I feel more calm and I’m not nervous but looking forward to it.”
Six months ago could you see this happening? – “It’s always nice to be able to dream and now I am living my dream.”
“You played in important games in Rome and Scotland and you’ve given positive responses each time, how do you feel about that?” – “I am pleased with the minutes, I always try to keep calm and help the team and when the manager calls for me I will be ready.”
What Rangers team do you expect? – “The same characteristics as the first game, a very aggressive team with great players. We hope match will go well.”
You’ve taken a blows in early games with AC? – “Yes this is true but at least here they can rectify decisions with VAR, tackles are harder and stronger and feel the contact more.”
Centre backs in the Europa league are harder and faster. What have you learned? – “Each match I learn from my mistakes and see what defenders do and learn from it. Not there yet but I am learning.”
What did you think of Rangers centre backs and how they moved up the pitch? – “They have good high level players, they had one player less because of the sending off and they weren’t as aggressive as they can be.”
Are the team feeling defeated after the first leg result and do you view it as a single match or missed opportunity in first match? – “We take heart from the first match, we had many chances and hope to get a good result. For us this is a “pre-final” hope to win with great atmosphere.”
Do you and your team mates feel under pressure because the final is here? – “No, because we are in San Mames, no pressure and a lot of will to win.”
How many blows have you taken in matches and how strong has this helped you become, what is the difference between regional division and La Liga? – “I try to stay calm with ball, I know I can do a better job,I feel no pressure.”
You’ve played in some legendary stadiums. What pressure did you feel and did you think you’d feel it more in big stadiums? – “Honestly I enjoy every stadium, see it as a normal stadium, on pitch I forget everything.”
In recent games you’ve played, the opposition centre backs were given two red cards and you’ve been awarded a penalty, why are you having such a big impact? – “I make the most of my quality and go for every ball as if it’s the last ball.”
What more can you contribute to the team? “Scoring more goals, improving my quality with the ball and I know you’ll see it.”
How encouraging was Sunday’s victory and what was its impact on the dressing room? “It gives us confidence to face the very important match tomorrow. It helps to increase the spirit in the dressing room.”
What does the manager ask you to do? Are you to shoot as much as you can, look for goal or pass? “ He tells me to be calm about making decisions and make the best decision I can.”
What San Mames do you expect tomorrow? – “A great atmosphere, it will help us coming close to winning.”
What is it like playing with Sancet alongside you? – “He makes a difference and having him next to me helps the team.”
Ernesto Valverde Tejedor – Manager
How will you face the match with the first tie at 0-0, will you play at usual or be more careful? “Whoever wins will continue in competition, we’ve played deciding matches here before, some win some lost, play our game, it’s a scenario we’re used to.”
You described the Roma match as “playing a final” . Is this game also a final and are you going to change anything to break through the Rangers defence? – “No, we believe in continuity and I won’t be sharing my team with the Rangers manager in a press conference!”
After ten minutes Rangers played with ten men, in view of how well they played, will they do it again? – “They are a good counter attacking team, a big team in league, they dominate in Scotland and have players to do it. After the red card, went more into defence and did a good job,we lacked speed but we had chances to score.”
Will Inaki Williams make the game? – “He is a doubt , will see in today’s training, he didn’t train yesterday, I only use players that are 100% for big game.”
It’s been suggested that Rangers are more dangerous in San Mames than Ibrox? – “I know they’ll be dangerous here, in the Europa League they’ve played good matches. I know they lost the Manchester United game at the last minute. They have strong players, we know Dessers constantly running into spaces, they are dangerous on the counter, their wide players break well with Tavernier and Cerny is a bullet. They are very accurate when coming into open spaces, some home matches where they have been defeated they’ve taken 20-30 shots at goal. This is football.”
Is it more difficult to play against defensive teams at San Mames? What can you do to make the team flow more?- “Sometimes we find it hard against 3, 4, 5 defenders like everyone else, in the first leg Rangers had 5 then 4 defenders and it was still difficult. Some teams just come to defend but teams also find our defense difficult. Rangers also need to win the game so I don’t know if they will set up in this way.
Have you trained for a penalty shoot out? – “We train for everything and prepare for everything, taking a penalty in training and then in a match is not the same, it’s not the same pressure and you need to overcome that pressure. Rangers qualified after the Fenerbahce pen shoot out so yes we train for it, it’s part of the game.”
There is a lot at stake for both teams, motivation is significant, how do you remain calm? – We focus on the game, how we play, there are emotions behind it but we set that aside and focus on what we need to do. If you start to think about what is going to happen you lose focus. We need to be competitive and know how to handle ourselves on pitch.