The day before the semifinal against Fiorentina, the Italians also held a press conference. Read below what Florentine coach Vincenzo Italiano had to say about the important return match.
Lots of Italian journalists at Jan Breydel and they were obviously curious to hear what Italiano had to say. The loss against Hellas Verona last weekend and the elimination in the cup competition against Atlanta are still fresh in their minds, but according to Italiano his team is ready for the game against Blauw-Zwart: "In smaller games we sometimes dare to let ourselves hang a bit, but this is Europe so that won't happen. Like against Atlanta, we start the match with a small bonus (then Fiorentina were eliminated in Bergamo in the semifinals of the Coppa Italia after a 4-1 defeat), but it will be another difficult match in which anything can happen. The important thing is to be 100% focused and not give away any chances."
The Italians won the outward match 3-2, but know it is not yet played: "The two goals against in Florence were our mistake, but overall we played well. Our goal was to start this return with a lead, because at home Club Brugge will certainly be ready. In Europe, clubs always play a little differently at home, at a higher tempo and with more pressure forward."
Italiano knows that Club has a home advantage: "We saw that the fans have prepared a tifo. It will be a big match with a lot of physical battle. We must not make mistakes and thus give Club an advantage. It is up to us to defend well, to play with more focus and quality".
FINAL LAST SEASON
With Fiorentina, Italiano already reached the Conference League final last season: "We already played about 30 games in this competition, against a lot of good opponents. So we do have some experience in this league. We are 90 minutes from a final and reaching it again would be very nice for myself and the club. The whole city lives with our European course, you felt that last season too."
Finally, the Italian coach elaborated one more time on Club: "We are prepared for their game. We know how they defend and above all attack. They will play similar to last week, but at a higher pace to make it so difficult for us," Italiano said, "they have to force something to get that first goal and then we have to stay calm. In games like this, details often make the difference, so we must not lose focus for a second and give 100%."