Sanchez’s machine is unbeatable in Slovenia, but how will it be in Germany? Olimpija starts its second European adventure at Heidenheim
Photo: Vid Ponikvar / Sportida
For years, they have hoped in vain for a breakthrough in Europe, and now the fans of Olimpija will be able to enjoy group stage matches of the Conference League for the second consecutive time. The Dragons had quite a bit of luck in the draw last season, but they were unable to take advantage of it due to various twists and turns, and consequently, they parted ways after the group stage.
Now the Conference League is different; there is more maneuvering space, and this is one of the reasons why they are approaching new European challenges with optimism in Ljubljana. Olimpija will start its dance on the international stage in the country where Adam Delius came to lead the green and white three years ago.
The businessman from Germany initially had quite a few difficulties convincing the ever-skeptical and distrustful Olimpija fans, who are now eating out of his hands. Results, of course, cover up many things, as is the case here, but at this moment, it is nice to be the president of Olimpija, regardless of everything. It will be interesting to see how satisfied Adam Delius will be in parting with Heidenheim, where more than 100 of his friends and acquaintances are expected to be present, while Victor Sanchez, who remains undefeated as Olimpija’s coach, has promised that the Dragons will remain true to their style against the Bundesliga club.
The style maintained by the Spaniard has, at least for now, proven to be an unsolvable puzzle for Slovenian rivals; everything has worked without major issues even in the European qualifiers. But the biggest challenge is yet to come; Domžale is one thing, Polisja Žitomir is another, and a club from the elite, extremely strong Bundesliga is a completely different story, being one of the highest-quality leagues on the Old Continent. Heidenheim will undoubtedly be Sanchez’s greatest test of knowledge to date, and even if Olimpija has to lay down its arms, the Spaniard hopes and believes that it will do so in style and certainly not without firing a shot.
Olimpija Must Utilize Its Advantages
“We want to be as we always are, that is, dominant on the ball and have a lot of possession. However, we are also aware of the opponent’s quality; I doubt we will have as much possession as we do at home. But even in the league, you have to be competitive when you don’t have the ball; otherwise, it doesn’t matter what you do when you have it. Our plan is to create opportunities when we have the ball and to defend well when we don’t have it. In football, statistics don’t play; we must take advantage of what we are given,” Victor Sanchez elaborated at the last press conference before the match at Voith Arena.
The coach of the Dragons continued: “We face a demanding opponent that plays in the Bundesliga, one of the best leagues in the world. And not only that; they stand out in this competition. The club has a wonderful story, and I truly respect their coach, Frank Schmidt. It is rare for a coach to stay at a club for so long, have such results, and rise from the lower leagues to the top. We expect physically strong opponents who know how to attack and defend. We have to prepare just like always. We need to limit the opponent’s strengths and utilize our advantages.”
The match in Germany will start at 18:45, with Enea Jorgji, a 40-year-old referee from Albania, officiating. He has previously refereed matches involving Maribor (2022; win 2:0 against Shakhtar from Soligorsk), Celje (2015; loss 0:1 against Śląsk from Wrocław), and also Olimpija (2018; win 5:1 against Crusaders). The Voith Arena, which holds 15,000 spectators, will be bursting at the seams, and around 600 members of the fan group Green Dragons and other supporters of the green-and-whites from Stožice are expected to attend the match.
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet