Djordjević undaunted by Chelsea return
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
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Predrag Djordjević says "nothing is decided" despite Olympiacos CFP being held to a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their knockout tie with Chelsea FC in Athens.
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Olympiacos CFP captain Predrag Djordjević believes "nothing is decided" despite the Greek side being held to a goalless draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout tie with Chelsea FC in Athens.
High hopes
Panagiotis Lemonis' Greek Super League leaders earned a creditable draw with quadruple-chasing Chelsea but failed to score the goal they craved to take to Stamford Bridge for what is expected to be a difficult night in the return leg on 5 March, with the Londoners inevitably installed as favourites. However, Djordjević says the tie is far from settled. "We still have hope in this tie," said the 35-year-old Serbian. "Nothing has been decided. Of course the return match will be very difficult but we will look to score. If we manage to do that then we will have high hopes for reaching the quarter-finals."
Impressive display
Despite some recent lacklustre domestic displays, Olympiacos went into the clash with Avram Grant's Chelsea having not lost in their last six matches. Djordjević admitted there had been pre-match worries over the team's form but they put that right with an impressive display against their English Premier League opponents. "The truth is that in the last few matches we have not been playing well," said the skipper. "But we prepared well for Chelsea and despite our recent problems we had one of our better nights. We need to play this way in all of our matches."
Maturing side
Olympiacos have qualified from the group stages of the competition for the first time in nine years, having reached the quarter-finals in the 1998/99 campaign, and according to Djordjević that is down to a change in approach from the Piraeus giants. "This year we've played more carefully and functioned better as a team," he added. "When you come up against so many great teams in the UEFA Champions League you have to pick your moments to exploit opportunities. These games demand patience. We could have done better today from a couple of opportunities but what was important was how we played."
