Article by Aurelian Botezatu – published on Friday, 08 August 2025, 09:19 / Updated on Friday, 08 August 2025 09:20
PAOK Thessaloniki, the team coached by Răzvan Lucescu, made only 0-0 with Wolfsberger in the first leg of the preliminary round in the Europa League.
PAOK NA found the way to the goal at its first European appearance of the new season. Only 0-0 with the Austrians from Wolfsberger, a result not exactly encouraging in the perspective of August 14th. But coach Răzvan Lucescu is confident that his team can obtain qualification in Austria, as it happened two years ago, when he passed the Beitar Jerusalem.
Răzvan Lucescu: “We must return from Austria with qualification!”
“The first qualifying matches are always complicated. From the beginning it seemed to be easy for us, but as time has passed, the team has grown, our game has improved. We are not in the best physical form, it is clear, but I saw the boys fighting, struggling, even without the new thing,”
Lucescu JR also accused the fact that “I met a team that defended all the time”, but he is convinced that “the return sleeve will be different. The pressure is on them, they will have to play differently from what they have shown today. I will continue to say that we have to fight. We have to return from Austria with qualification!”.
Răzvan Lucescu: “It is important that we kept our goal”
About the fact that PAOK made mistakes and did not have at least one clear opportunity, the Romanian technician believes that “it is logical. The players are not in the best possible form. Being the first official match of the season, and another European one is created pressure. It is important that we have kept the untouched gate, if we think about how the match went. “.
Lucescu relies on return on “the will and desire to fight our players. Maybe there was no freshness, but let's not forget that it was the first official match after 88 days, while The opponents are a team that has already played some matches this season ”.
