Kosovo champions Drita believe they are well prepared for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League first qualifying round opener against Kauno Žalgiris, with head coach Zekirija Ramadani targeting a positive result before next week’s return leg in Pristina. Speaking ahead of the match, Ramadani said his side is ready both physically and mentally, while emphasizing that the two-legged nature of the tie will influence their approach.
“I see my team prepared in terms of psychology, physicality, and tactics and I believe that we will get a positive result and then we have the return match where we have the support of the fans and we will be much stronger. I would have liked to return with an advantage, which I believe is real and normal, but we still have to do our best and see the result in the end.”
“We have 90 minutes tomorrow, then in the end we can also make calculations for the return match whether we should be more aggressive, or more offensive, or more defensive. Everything will depend on the first match.”
Defender Besnik Krasniqi echoed his coach’s confidence but acknowledged the importance of managing the tie across both matches. “The atmosphere is good. Drita is always known for the good atmosphere within the group. We have tried very hard to maintain this atmosphere. We are well prepared and motivated for the match. We must each give our maximum to get a positive result. It is not just one match, we have two matches and we must be careful.”
Goalkeeper Faton Maloku also expects a difficult contest against Kauno Žalgiris. “It’s a difficult match. In the Champions League, there are no matches that we should take lightly. We had a good preparatory phase for this game and I hope we come out with a positive result.”
Tuesday’s match marks Kauno Žalgiris’ first-ever appearance in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, while Drita are aiming to build on last season’s impressive European campaign, when they reached the UEFA Conference League knockout phase play-offs.
The match inside the Darius and Girenas stadium in Kaunas will start at 19:00 local time.
Source: https://www.koha.net/en/futboll/drita-ne-lituani-per-rezultat-pozitiv
