“Betis have excellent players, especially in attack”

Sergey Semaktechnician of Zenit of St. Petersburg, assures that the Real Betis, his rival this Thursday in the first leg of the playoff to the round of 16 of the Europa League, “has excellent players, especially in attack” and that “he can only praise the team and the coach for this season” that the Verdiblanco team is taking shape. The Russian does not hide that Canales and Fekir “are the two leaders of the team and very important players”, although he considers that “the team that will take to the field tomorrow will depend less on the individual qualities of the players, but they will not be weaker in collective terms “

Check he was full of praise for Real Betis at the pre-match press conference. “When preparing for a game with a team like this, you have to take everything into account: defense, attack, set pieces and attacking transitions. We all know the Betis. They have excellent players, especially in attack. It is no coincidence that they occupy a place in the top three of the championship, they demonstrate a quality game. One can only praise the team and the coach for this season. For us, this is an opportunity to show ourselves, measure our strengths and understand what stage we are at.”

Regarding the casualties of Canales and Fekir, Check indicated the following: “They are the two team leaders and they are very important to them, but the quantity and quality of Betis players allows them to be replaced. The players that will take the field will be of good quality. They have both young and experienced players , Betis are well equipped, there is good competition in each position of the team, I don’t think they have great doubts about how to replace those who are absent. Fekir and Canals they are strong in their dribbling and shooting. The team that will take the field tomorrow will depend less on the individual qualities of the players, but they will not be weaker in collective terms.”

The technician of Zenit He also spoke about the casualties of his team and the doubts in the goal, since Krytsyuk, the starting goalkeeper, will not be there. “Lovren is not ready, Alip is not signed up for the Europa League. Krytsyuk finally started practicing on the field. The rest of the players have no problems. I haven’t made a decision on the starting goalkeeper yet, we have training before the match and all day tomorrow. Odoevsky had a good preseason. Kerzhakov scored in good form in the second part of the preseason. Full preparation speaks for Odoevsky, but for Kerzhakov experience. There are pros, cons and risks. But it is good that we have such competition. As of today, the departure of each of the goalkeepers from the starting eleven is equally likely to support those in good form. Except for Alip, we will be able to see other newcomers,” said Sergey Semak.

read also