Preview: Tuesday's Champions League play-offs
Monday, August 24, 2015
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Hear from the coaches, check out the killer facts and remind yourself what happened in last week's first legs as ten teams look to book group stage places on Tuesday.
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- Valencia took control of the tie against last season's quarter-finalists, man of the match Sofiane Fehgouli scoring a crucial 86th-minute goal.
- Valencia have never lost a two-legged European qualifying tie and a 2-1 European Cup Winners' Cup defeat by Nantes in 1980 is their only reverse in ten trips to France.
Leonardo Jardim, Monaco coach
We need a dream game in front of our own supporters. Our defence can do better than the first leg, but our attack can, too; it is about teamwork. Our ambition is to turn the tie in our favour. We know it won't be easy but we will do our best. We want to go on in the Champions League. Monaco have a great project – to train young players while playing in the best competitions. This is very important for the club.
Nuno Espírito Santo, Valencia coach
We will fight not only to defend our first-leg lead but to win. We will keep the pressure on Monaco and try not to give them opportunities. Monaco are a great team. Last year they were close to reaching the semi-finals. They have quality throughout their squad and have managed to keep hold of their best players. We hope this will be the first step towards a great future for this Valencia team. We are not even considering exiting this competition.
- Jo Inge Berget, who has played under Ronny Deila at Celtic and Strømsgodset, scored twice for Malmö last week including a goal deep in added time.
- While Swedish defender Mikael Lustig is rated 50-50 for Celtic due to a hamstring problem, Malmö have captain Markus Rosenberg back from suspension.
Åge Hareide, Malmö coach
The game against Salzburg last year [when Malmö overturned a 2-1 deficit with a 3-0 win] was more important, both financially and football-wise. Then we had to do something we had not done before [and reach the group stage] so this is easier. I have seen Celtic away from home and they play in a great manner. They defend well. They could be more difficult than to break down than Salzburg because Salzburg are always on the attack and Celtic are more balanced.
Ronny Deila, Celtic coach
We are finally here. We have a few nerves, but no fear. The team have enough quality. We showed in Glasgow that we are the better team. Now we are away so it will be a different game but we are confident that if we play to our best we will win. We have gone six months without losing. We kept a clean sheet against Qarabağ and they were a very good team. We can do that again.
- Basel dominated the first leg and took the lead through Breel Embolo in the 88th minute only for Eran Zahavi to score his second of the game and competition-leading sixth this season deep in added time.
- Basel knocked Maccabi out of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League in 2013/14, but each time the Swiss side won at home and drew away.
Slaviša Jokanović, Maccabi coach
We are close to realising a big dream but I feel desire, not pressure. We are going to be smart and focused in a full stadium which will push us. We have to grab the win when we get the chance. I will sleep very well because I'm full of confidence and I know my players are aware how big this day is for them. I must have a clear mind, like my players. I'm not afraid. The pressure is on Basel now.
Urs Fischer, Basel coach
We weren't surprised by Maccabi's performance. We just have to be better than last week. We acknowledge the Bloomfield factor but are happy to play in front of a good crowd. The heat is something else to consider but after 15–20 minutes this shouldn't be a problem. The 2-2 scoreline favours Maccabi – we have to score quickly to transfer the pressure onto them. Luck is also important as there isn't much between the teams.
Shakhtar Donetsk (1-0) Rapid Wien
- Marlos got the only goal in Lviv to keep Shakhtar on course for a sixth straight group appearance.
- Rapid will hope for a repeat of their 3-2 second-leg win at Ajax in the third qualifying round, a tie in which they recovered from two goals down both home and away.
Mircea Lucescu, Shakhtar coach
Rapid are very aggressive team so we expect a tough game. Both teams always play to win in qualifying. Rapid will play differently here from Fenerbahçe because they can't simply wait for our mistakes. Given their home defeat, they have to chase a goal. Both sides have really focused on this game – Rapid used only three players from our first leg in their last league match; we fielded a completely different squad in the cup.
Zoran Barisic, Rapid coach
We are in a difficult position after a 1-0 home defeat but we are going to give Shakhtar problems. This is the biggest match of the season right now, and even if it looks unlikely we still can do it. We have to show our best in all aspects of the game. It's really important for us to handle their attacking transitions. Their players are very quick and skilful but we'll try to stop them.
Dinamo Zagreb (2-1) Skënderbeu
- Skënderbeu will be the first Albanian side to play in a major UEFA club competition group stage whatever happens but their hopes of that being in this tournament faded last week despite them leading at half-time as Josip Pivarić got an added-time winner.
- No team has ever gone through after a home first-leg loss in the play-offs.
Zoran Mamić, Dinamo coach
We are looking forward to this match, it's a big day for us and I hope we will prove we are the better team and reach the Champions League group stage with a victory. We will still play attacking football but there is no need to rush. They need to hunt for goals, so we must be careful. I don't think they can show anything that we didn't see or that we don't expect, but they also know everything about us.
Mirel Josa, Skënderbeu coach
I understand why the Dinamo Zagreb coach thinks the chances are still 50-50 despite winning the first leg in Albania because he has to think like that, he needs to be cautious. I also think we still have a chance, and we will give it our best shot. We have to play attacking football but it's not easy and we need a good defence as well. We are aware of Dinamo Zagreb's quality and we need to be at the top of our game at both ends.
