Ludogorets’ new head coach, Rui Mota, shared his expectations ahead of his official debut. On Wednesday, July 9 at 20:30, his team will face Dinamo Minsk of Belarus at Huvepharma Arena in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.
“We’ve been working together for a month now. We completed our entire preseason training in Austria. The team is definitely progressing — I see improvement and steps forward every day. The players are working very well, and we’re confident that we’ll perform well in this first match,” said Mota.
He confirmed that striker Kwadwo Duah is injured and will not be available, but added that “everyone else is fit and ready.”
“Dinamo Minsk is a very physical team. They fight for the first and second ball and play a direct style of football. We’re prepared for that — we’ve studied their tactics and I hope tomorrow we’ll be able to apply what we've analyzed. Their league is currently ongoing, so they have more match fitness than us, but as I said, we’re confident we’ll do well. You’ll find out tomorrow who will play,” Mota added with a smile.
Mota also commented on new signing Joel Andersson:
“He’s a very experienced player coming from a strong team with a champion mentality. He has European experience and I think he’s a great addition, which we wanted to raise the quality of the squad. I believe he’s a great fit for us.”
Captain Anton Nedyalkov also spoke during the press briefing:
“I believe Ludogorets is the better and more prepared team. The coach has given us clear instructions. He showed us what to focus on and what to expect. As he said, they are a physical team, strong, and rely on what they know – direct balls, long passes, and fighting for the second ball. But I don’t think we’ll have problems because we’ve prepared in the best possible way for tomorrow’s match,” said Nedyalkov confidently.
